“Ready?” he murmured and, without waiting for a response, pointed his index finger at Ash. “You’re an idiot.”

Wincing, I said, “That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?”

“You think?” Rafe asked. “What would you call someone who walks away from someone he loves and who, bizarre as it seems, actually loves him back, just as much?”

This was his plan? He thought berating Ash would change something? Really? “It’s not that easy,” I protested.

“You ask me, he’s taking the easy way out, not figuring out how to fix things.”

“That’s just not true. They tried to make it work. He tried.”

“Yeah?” Rafe’s eyebrows went up. “Seems to me that Chelsea was the one doing all the trying.”

Ash was watching us, his head going back and forth. But he hadn’t said anything. Until now. “What do you mean, Chelsea was trying?”

I was curious what Rafe meant, too, so was glad when he said, “Minnie figures part of the deal with Chelsea is seasonal affective disorder. Anxiety, fatigue, all that. One of those lights can help, so she borrowed one from Minnie.”

That wasn’t exactly how I remembered it, but whatever. “She texted me the other day,” I said. “It seems to be helping.”

Rafe nodded, as if that proved his point. “And what are you doing?” he demanded.

“Well, I . . .” Ash stared at the table. “I’m glad the light is helping her, but that’s not the only thing. She doesn’t put down roots. And deep roots is who I am. Nothing is going to change the fact that we want different things.”

“What if you’re both looking at it wrong?” Rafe asked. “What if it isn’t about roots, but about not being stuck in one spot forever?”

Suddenly, I saw where Rafe was going and jumped in. “What if,” I said, “you make plans to travel?”

“You get a ton of paid time off,” Rafe pointed out, “and you hardly ever take any. You lose vacation time every year because you’re a moron. And you never spend a dime you don’t have to, so I know you have cash stashed away. Use it.”

“But—”

I talked over whatever his objection was going to be because whatever it was, it didn’t matter. “This is what’s called a compromise. You go places a few times a year, and she doesn’t have to stay in one place forever.”

Rafe started to say something, but I elbowed him into quiet. We’d done what we could; anything else and we’d start repeating ourselves.

Sighing, Ash reached into his shirt pocket. “Got this at Thorington Jewelry weeks ago,” he said, sliding the small object across the table.