“Please listen to me, Dad. Nothing either of us can say or do will bring her back. We both know that.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “I miss her as much as you do—every single damn day. But we have to get on with our lives.”

“I realize that but . . .”

“. . . but reopening old wounds won’t help us do that.” She pointed toward the bedroom. “You might not believe this, but when I woke up this morning, I was the happiest I’ve been in a long, long time. Probably since Mom passed away.”

She turned back to face Grant. “And I’m pretty sure it’s because you’re here.”

Grant stood there speechless.

“I’m actually glad to see you, Dad. I’m happy to help you do something important.”

Grant was finally able to find his voice. “It means so much to me too.”

“So can’t we start with that?” The plea was now in Rachel’s eyes and voice. “Can’t we just begin there and see what happens next?”

“I’ll do whatever you want, Rach. I just want you in my life.”

Rachel gave him a grateful nod. It wasn’t quite the “I do too” he would have hoped for, but in that moment, he’d gladly take what he could get.

She picked her purse off the chair and moved back over to Grant.

She leaned in and gave him a small peck on the cheek.

“I shouldn’t be very late,” she told him.

Then she was out the door—leaving a stunned Grant still holding his hand up to the side of his face. As grateful as he was for the ice melting, he couldn’t stop thinking about one thing.

What had Allison forbidden Rachel to tell him?

An hour later, it was still the only thing on his mind.

Grant had tried reading a dozen books he’d picked off the shelves and had barely gotten past the title pages or dedications. He’d made up the sofa bed, plopped himself down on it, and tried finding something on television to distract him, but unless there was a reality show called What Your Daughter is Keeping from You and How to Find Out What It Is, that wasn’t going to work either.

More than once he’d passed the open laptop on the table. He could practically hear it beckoning him.

Austin, come over here and see what I have for you.

He resisted the temptation to pry and gobbled up a handful of bunny rabbit cookies instead.

That’s when he knew it was time to go out.