“Did you think I didn’t mean it when I left Virginia? That I didn’t mean it when we talked over Christmas? I’m not coming back. I really appreciate how you’ve tried, that you were willing to do so much to put me in any office, but my heart is not in the job. When you lose the spark, it’s over. You told me that, time and time again. I have no spark.”

He was silent for a long time.

“Tommy?”

“Dammit, you’re too good to walk away. But I get it.” He took a deep breath. “I miss you here.” He cleared his throat. “The team misses you.”

I miss you, too. But she didn’t say it. He’d been there for her after Chase, after her marriage fell apart, and they might have been able to have something if she wasn’t so damn broken and grieving. Now...whatever might have been was gone.

But he was a friend. A good friend.

“You staying there? In Flagstaff?”

“I’m not making any long-term decisions right now.”

“But you are.”

“Yes.”

“What are you going to do?”

“My dad thinks I should get my PI license. One of his former deputies runs a security company, and they hire mostly former law enforcement. I’m thinking about it.” She really hadn’t, not more than once or twice, but it was the only option she thought was viable.

“It’s a good idea. And you’re staying with him?”

“For now. I’ll probably get my own place, but I don’t think either of us are in a rush. And until I have a steady income, I should probably be frugal with my living expenses.”

“I saw that you sold the house.”

“I have money from it. Good money. Might be enough to buy a condo.”

He laughed, and that somehow made her feel better. “A condo? Regan Merritt in a condo? Never happen.”

Now she laughed. “You’re right. Maybe I’ll buy a tent and live in the mountains.”

“Don’t go that far. Where will I sleep when I visit?”

Her heart skipped a beat. They had never talked directly about their mutual attraction. She knew he had feelings for her. She was pretty certain he knew how she felt. But they didn’t talk about it. Ever.

“Okay, I’ll get a real house.”

“Good.”

“I...” How did she tell him goodbye? For good? “Be safe out there, Tommy.”

“You, too, Regan.”

She ended the call before either of them said the one thing they had avoided all these years. She harbored no illusions that she and Tommy would ever be together. The time had passed, and it had never really been an option. A relationship born out of pain and grief couldn’t last.