Joy traces a finger over the date—today’s date. She wonders what was going through Dylan’s head when he wrote this. She pictures him waiting to board his plane to London, hurriedly jotting the reminder because it wasn’t just the date that was important. She was important.

She remembers how much her heart hurt watching Dylan walk into the terminal. He took a part of her with him. She also remembers how ecstatic Mark was when she arrived at his apartment—their apartment—and the enthusiastic embrace he gave her. After Dylan, the apartment didn’t feel like home, and Mark’s arms around her didn’t feel right. So different from the man she’d just left.

“Sorry I kept you waiting,” Chase says. “I wasn’t sure I should come.”

“Why did you?”

It takes a moment for him to answer, and when he does, his tone is solemn. “If I’d made plans to meet someone ten years from when we met, someone I loved beyond reason, and she didn’t show, I’d want to know why.” He leans to his side and takes out his phone. He gestures at Joy’s phone. “Is your AirDrop set to everyone?”

She checks her settings. “Yes, why?”

“Dylan recorded something for you the night before his flight. I found it recently on our servers. I take it he never sent it to you?”

“I never received anything from him.”

“I’m not sure when he planned to give this to you, if at all. But it’s yours.” He drops the WAV to her phone and she accepts the file. Pressure builds in her chest. She wants to rush to her car to listen while at the same time she never wants to play it. To hear Dylan’s voice knowing he’s gone? Her lower lip trembles. It’s hitting her that she will never see him again.

“I should go.” She gathers her purse, phone, and keys.

Chase pushes the notebook across the table. “Keep this. Dylan would have wanted you to have it.”

Joy doesn’t hesitate. She hugs the notebook to her chest.

Chase leaves a twenty on the table, more than enough to cover his coffee. Joy leads them out of the diner and turns to him in the parking lot.

“Thanks for coming. I would have wondered.”

Chase drops his shades onto the bridge of his nose and slides his hands into his pockets. “What if you and Dylan didn’t agree to meet up today?”

“I think we would have found our way back to each other sooner.”

Dylan has been on her mind for a decade. Their deal kept her emotionally tethered to him. The circumstances under which they met kept her rooted in the past throughout her marriage. It had her waiting for three years after her divorce, hoping.