“You hear even the stuff I don’t say. I joked about how I know you, but you know me. I could see it in each sketch. And it made me want to do a better job of seeing you. Hearing you.”

“Wow.” I’d done my own thinking during our time apart that evening, but he might have outdone me in the profound realization department. My neck relaxed, a tension I hadn’t even known I’d been holding ebbing away. “Thank you.”

“So this is me, asking. Not telling. Not trying to solve the problem. What are you going to do?”

“I think you already know.” I pointed at the car.

“You’re going to sell it?” Jasper put deliberate emphasis on the word sell, a question, not a statement.

“It’s the right thing to do. And you made me see that.” I pulled him closer, both because of the cold and because his nearness made it easier to make these big confessions.

“I did?”

“When you said that I didn’t have to handle things myself, I realized the opposite. I need to handle this. I spent weeks running from the real solution. And not simply the owning up to Bruno part—you’re not wrong there either—but I have the way to make this right.”

“But it’s your dad’s legacy. You said that yourself. It’s the one thing you can’t part with.” Jasper bit his lip like he was trying hard not to be too argumentative.

“And maybe it’s the one thing I should,” I countered. I’d been round and round on this point in my own head, but saying it aloud actually helped me to feel more definite about the idea. Mom liked to go on about how people like Dad and Nona were guardian angels now. And I’d never bought that, especially in the case of Dad who could have done a lot more protecting when he was alive. I was done elevating him to a pedestal he didn’t deserve. However, if he were watching over me, was it so terrible to use the car to ensure my future?

“If I sell, I might get enough to replace the cards and to help make finding a new place to live easier. Maybe even have something left over to take a few art classes. I can make my dreams come true, at least some of them.”

“You can make your dreams come true even without the car, but I get what you’re saying.” Jasper exhaled, his breath warm against my neck. “I hate to think of you parting with it though. Your dad wanted you to have it.”