“Where else?”
They walked toward the apex of downtown, where The Lampstand stood like a beacon in the snow.The building was even more beautiful in winter, its stone façade dusted white, its beacon light cutting through the falling snow like a promise.Through the windows, he could see families gathered around tables, couples leaning close over flickering candles, the O’Hara clan scattered throughout like they owned the place.
Which, technically, they did.
Mac was at the hostess stand, her usual energy somehow amplified by the weather.“Mia!Zeke!Get in here before you freeze.Grandma’s been asking about you all day.”
The warmth inside was almost shocking after the cold.The massive fireplace roared with a fire that cast dancing shadows across the dining room.The smell of roasting meat and fresh bread and something sweet with cinnamon wrapped around them like a hug.
“She has been?”Mia asked.
“Oh yeah.She’s got opinions about you two.”Mac’s grin was pure mischief.“But don’t worry, they’re mostly good opinions.Mostly.”
She led them to the same corner table by the fireplace, the one that was somehow always available when they needed it.The windows beside them offered a perfect view of Main Street, where snow continued to transform the town into something magical.
Zeke helped Mia with her coat, then shed his own.When they sat across from each other, knees almost touching under the small table, it felt intimate in a way that had nothing to do with the physical space and everything to do with the moment they were in.
“Thank you,” Mia said quietly.“For showing me the house papers.For trying.”
“I’m going to keep trying,” he said.“For as long as it takes.”
“Even if it takes forever?”
“Especially if it takes forever.”
She smiled—a real smile, the first he’d seen in days—and reached across the table to take his hand.Her fingers were cold from the walk, and he wrapped both his hands around hers, warming them.
“Then I guess we’d better order,” she said.“Because I have a feeling this is going to be a long conversation.”
They were studying menus when Zeke’s phone buzzed.He almost ignored it—Mia was finally talking to him again, finally looking at him without that wall of hurt in her eyes—but training made him glance at the screen.
Blaze.
His stomach dropped.
“I have to take this,” he said, already standing.“I’m sorry.”
He stepped away from the table, moving toward the entryway where the noise was less.“Tell me.”
“We found her,” Blaze said, his voice tight.“Fishermen spotted something in the river near the north bridge.It’s Tina, Zeke.I’m sorry.”
The restaurant sounds faded to white noise.Zeke closed his eyes, feeling the familiar weight of failure settle over him like a shroud.
“I’m coming,” he said.
“No need.Scene’s already processed, coroner took the body.”
Zeke looked back at the table where Mia sat, studying her menu, snowflakes still melting in her hair.They’d had five minutes.Five minutes of something that felt almost like hope.
“I’m at The Lampstand,” he said.“We’re at The Lampstand.”
“I know.Mac texted me you were there.”A pause.“I’ll be there in five.And Zeke?This one’s going to be hard.They didn’t make it quick.”
The line went dead.
Zeke stood there for a moment, phone in hand, watching Mia through the doorway.She looked up, caught his eye, and her smile faded as she read his expression.
She stood, moving toward him.“What happened?”
