"She might not come. She might decide I'm exactly the complication she thought I was."
"She might." Anna shrugged. "But she won't. A woman like that, one who makes you sit in parking lots and forget your words? She's not running. She's trying to figure out if it's worth the trouble."
"And if it's not?"
"Then you'll know. And you'll move on." Anna fixed him with a look. "But Jake. If it is worth the trouble. If she's what I think she might be. Don't do that thing you do."
"What thing?"
"That thing where you let people leave because you think you're respecting their choice." Anna's voice had gone firm. "You've spent your whole life being so concerned about people'sautonomy that you forget to fight for the ones worth keeping. If she's worth keeping, don't just let her walk."
Jake sat with that. Let it settle where he usually didn't let things reach.
"I don't even know if she's coming to The Anchor tonight," he said.
"She's coming."
"You don't know that."
"I know you. And I know the kind of woman who'd make Jake Walsh sit in a parking lot for ten minutes." Anna smiled. "She's coming. And when she does, you're going to show her who you are. Not the charming version. The real one."
She picked up her crossword and pencil, settling back onto her stool. Conversation over.
Jake stood. Reached for his wallet.
"Don't insult me," Anna said without looking up.
"Anna."
"Go home. Take Ranger for a walk. And try not to overthink this into a disaster before it even starts."
He walked to the door. Stopped with his hand on the frame.
"Anna."
"Hmm."
"Love you, ma."
She didn't look up from the crossword. But her hand stilled on the paper, and when she spoke her voice was rough at the edges.
"Go take care of that dog."
Jake smiled and pushed through the door into the Tampa afternoon. The sun was high and the humidity wrapped around him like a second skin. Somewhere across the city, Emily Callahan was at her desk, probably reviewing case files, probably not thinking about him at all.
Or maybe she was. Maybe she was sitting in her office wondering why she'd said she'd think about The Anchor when she could have just said no.
His phone buzzed. Text from Ray.
She asked about you.
Jake stared at the screen. Typed back:And?
I told her you were trouble.
What did she say?
Three dots. A pause. Then:She said she figured.
