When Sam came to my apartment to check on me Saturday evening, he brought a veggie sub with extra cheese and lettuce because it was my favorite—and because he didn’t know what else to do. Nobody did, least of all me, and I pushed the food away, saying I wasn’t hungry, but when I let slip I hadn’t eaten since breakfast that morning, Sam insisted and cajoled. I gave in only because I half expected him to wave the sandwich in front of my face and make airplane noises if I didn’t. After I was done, I reclaimed what had become my permanent spot on the sofa. I pulled the moose-pattern blanket to my chest—a relic from my days in upstate New York—making sure my phone was fully charged and close by, with the volume turned up all the way, the screen facing me.

Meanwhile, Sam rubbed his face and tapped his foot on the floor, his nervous energy having nowhere else to go. “Uh, Lily, I need to tell you something.”

“What?” My voice went up a few notches as I put my mug down for fear I’d spill hot coffee all over myself. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

He held up both hands, waving them around. “Don’t panic, it’s nothing, really. Well, except I had to change my trip around. I’m leaving for Chicago tomorrow.”

I exhaled, wondering if this was how I’d be from now on: jumpy and on edge, always expecting bad news. I chastised myself for thinking like that. Jack was alive. He was definitely alive. The search would start again soon, which had to count for something. “Don’t worry, I—”

“I am worried. I’ll be gone almost two weeks and I don’t want to leave you alone. It’s not fair. Are you sure you can’t call someone to come and stay with you?”

Tears prickled the backs of my eyes. I blinked them away, forcing my face into a grimacing smile worthy of a contortionist act in the circus. I’d known Sam for almost as long as I’d known Jack, but we weren’t close enough for me to share the details about my family. Hell, I hadn’t told Jack everything. I wondered if now was the time to inform Sam that Jack might not be who he’d said he was, but I couldn’t. I still didn’t want to believe I was in love with a liar, and besides, what was the point in sullying Jack’s reputation if it all turned out to be a stupid case of mistaken identity?

“I’ll be fine, Sam. I promise.”

“This isn’t the kind of situation you want to deal with alone.”

“I’m perfectly capable—”