Rina joined him. She had taken off her coat and was shivering. Decker held her in his arms, and together they regarded the crenellations of the Old City’s walls. Inside the stone confines was the mount where the holy temple had once stood. The rock barriers were lit from below, casting shades in yellows and gold. “Wow, that’s beautiful.” Tears formed in her eyes.

Decker took off his jacket and laid it over her shoulders. “So here we are.”

“And I couldn’t be happier,” Rina said. “We need a little breathing room after all that’s happened.”

“I’ll say.”

“Think he’ll be okay? Our boy?”

“Gabe?” Decker said. “It won’t be easy, but he does have our family’s support and Yasmine has a big family as well. I think they’ll both be busy planning the wedding for this upcoming summer.”

“It’ll be hard for him,” Rina said.

“It will be. He hadn’t much contact with Terry in the past eleven years, but she was still his mother. It’ll be painful. But lucky for Gabe that he’s used to having another wonderful mother in his life.”

“It’s not the same.” Rina sighed. “But I do my best.” A pause. “What about Chris?”

“He’s a survivor,” Decker said. “He’ll be fine.”

“He did love her.”

“He did … Whatever that means to a guy like Donatti.”

“Do you think he’s capable of love?”

“In his capacity, yes. But I think his ability to self-preserve is much stronger.”

“I hope you’re right.” Rina looked around, breathing in the fresh, crisp air of Jerusalem. She smiled. “Should we unpack?”

“It’s so gorgeous out here. Let’s wait a little bit longer.”

“You’re right,” Rina said. “We’ll start our new adventure by living in the moment.”

“Darling, that’s all we’ve got.”

THE ANNUAL HALLOWEEN Spectacle was canceled this year, as was his birthday party. When Thanksgiving came, there wasn’t much to be grateful for. But as November led to December and the holidays, Donatti felt … well, he felt okay. He hired on a new assistant—a man named James who’d been working at the place for two years. He was bisexual, which made him useful, but it turned out that he was even better behind a desk than in the rooms. James was efficient, had a great organizational mind, and got along well with both men and women. He did everything from brewing coffee to executing the payroll. Donatti wondered why it took him so long to find someone who was pleasant and friendly but professional.