I glanced away, embarrassed by his open admiration. Heat crept across my face. A second passed before I could look him in the eye again. I felt as if I were seeing him for the first time.

Kind. Steadfast. Loyal. He cared about his family very much. Even Degas, who appeared to be a grumpy sort of man, praised Theo and considered him a friend.

“Might I show you Goupil tomorrow morning?” he asked. “We rarely have customers right after opening. And may I call on you the day after tomorrow at Dries’s apartment?”

His unabashed eagerness made it impossible not to smile. “You might grow tired of me by then.”

“Sunflowers will tire of the sun before I tire of you, Johanna Bonger.”

I considered the man, the expectant smile on his lips and the hopeful light in his eyes.

I’d accomplished the purpose of our encounter. I’d talked to him about Dries.

Dare I step further?

Dare I risk my heart again?

Chapter Seven

Emsley

When I had first arrived at the stroke center on Monday, the doctors and nurses had been all sunny optimism. She could wake up any minute.

Tuesday, they were still encouraging. We see a positive outcome for most of these cases.

By Wednesday, the nurse who came to check Violet’s vitals simply said, “She’s in God’s hands.”

My brain was loopy from sleep deprivation. I had no new questions to ask. I’d been researching stroke and coma on the internet, and spent three days and nights reading medical literature. I could have written a doctoral dissertation on the subject, but none of my new knowledge helped.

I hung out on forums. Chatted with survivors.

Be patient, they said.

I had my own bed in the room. The loaner foldaway wasn’t any more comfortable than the recliner, but at least it afforded a chance to be horizontal, even if I couldn’t sleep more than minutes at a time. By Thursday, I was a desperate mess.

“I’d like to be roommates with you under different circumstances. How about you wake up and we go on a cruise?”

Violet remained silent.

“Hey, I read another entry from Johanna’s diary. We need to talk about her. I have a lot of questions.”

No response.

“I’m turning the company around. We just had a great auction. I’m going to buy out Trey. Then I’m going to branch out into benefit auctions. I’m going to raise a shit ton of money for stroke research that will help you walk out of this place.”

She said nothing.

“All right. You know what? Let’s play favorites.” A game we had when I was a kid.

“My favorite thing about you is that all your life, you always went for what you wanted. Remember what you told me? The meaning of life is to live it.”

The rule was to take turns, but I went again.