I let my eyes fall closed for a moment, hoping I might open them, and she would simply be gone. I knew it had been too easy. I hadn’t heard a word from Lara since our video call. I’d thought I was off the hook, but I should’ve known that she was simply getting her ducks in a row for an ambush. “There’s nothing to say. I need time. Space. And I need you to give it to me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I let you move across the country. That isn’t space enough?”

“Not when you show up at my door. Send emails asking when I’ll be sending pieces your way.” It stifled every creative flare. Made me feel as if I couldn’t breathe.

“I care about you, Brody. From the minute you started with our old crew, I knew you would be the one to go the distance. I’ve fought to make sure you were recognized. If you disappear off the face of the planet, you might not have an audience to come back to.”

I scrubbed a hand over my face, a hint of guilt squeezing in. “Then so be it. Better that than being miserable.” I had enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t be buying private jets and houses around the world, but I could live here on my island without worry. And no matter what Lara said, I knew there would always be at least a handful of collectors still interested in my pieces. Whenever I was ready.

Lara stepped closer to me, gripping my arms. “You have too much talent to throw it away. They caught him. Mosely will rot in a cell for the rest of his life. His actions are on him, and him alone. You need to release that guilt.”

I shrugged out of her hold. The people in my life could tell me time and again, but it wasn’t their creations that a madman had turned into his blueprint. “I don’t blame myself.” It was true, but I wasn’t ready to put any piece I had created out into the world either.

Lara sighed. “Fine. At least show me what you’re working on since I came all this way.”

I couldn’t resist the temptation. It was too much of a rush to talk art with Lara. We’d always had a dialogue that seemed to spur me forward in my process. I started towards the sunporch and inclined my head for her to follow. Despite the many false starts I’d had over the past few weeks, I thought I might be finding my way again. And that path meant exploring a lot of new expressions. Some of it was dark, but a lot more was peaceful. Serene. My new surroundings had made their way into my work.