The room spun, the walls closing in. I looked out the window, needing to see the familiar redbrick houses of cité Pigalle, to assure myself I was still in Paris. But a merciless dusk was falling outside, covering the city and my dreams, stealing them away from me already.

Wil smacked his lips together, and I smiled at him through a sheen of tears. “Are you blowing kisses for your mama?”

I picked him up, all softness and warmth, the living half of my heart. As we stood in the middle of the kitchen, I saw the happy home the apartment could have been, the home Theo and I had built from hopes and dreams. Except, those hopes and dreams were beginning to blink out one by one, like Paris’s gaslights in the morning.

No. I refused to let them.

When the lights went out on the streets, the sun came up.

I looked from one sunflower painting to the other on the wall. I would not sink roots into worry and fear. I would turn to the light with gratitude.

I had my son, I had my health, and I had Vincent’s art.

“Thank you for your concern and advice,” I told Dries, holding Wil close. “Nevertheless, I cannot move back with Mama and Papa. And I am not going anywhere without the paintings.”

“Don’t be a fool, Jo.” Exasperation drew tight lines around my brother’s eyes.

I did not wish to fight with him, so I held my peace.

He sighed. “What do you propose to do?”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Emsley

I called Bram.

After Sergei had left, I’d gone back up to the office to work, determined not to think about his cousin. But then I decided I was allowed to think about Bram in a professional capacity. And I reconsidered his suggestion of small investors.

Startups tended to avoid them.

Anyone who put in money wanted a vote in everything and needed to be pleased. TAFB. Time Away From Business. One guy putting up a million dollars was easier to manage than ten guys putting in a hundred thousand each.

However, startup beggars could not be venture capital choosers. Johanna had found her life’s purpose, and so had I. She’d fought her battles, and I would fight mine.

Bram answered on the first ring. “Emsley. Everything all right?”

“Sergei was just here. Thank you for giving me his number.” I petted Lai Fa at my feet, half hoping she’d talk me out of what I was about to say next. She gave me an expression closer to a smug smile than I’d expected from a chicken. Fine. “Would you be still interested in hearing a pitch?”

“Absolutely.”

“I don’t have a formal presentation prepared yet.”

“I don’t need anything formal. May I bring my grandfather? He’ll probably be interested too.”

“Yes, please.”