“Roar . . .”
She leaned against my side and wrapped her arms around my middle. “I’msorryIdidn’t tell you sooner.I’msorry it took losing everything to realize whatIcan live without and whatIcan’t.”
I cradled her head against my chest and kissed the top of her hair. “Ilove you, baby.We’llfigure out the house.We’llget you a phone.We’llget your cards replaced.We’llget you some clothes.Butyou didn’t lose everything,Roar.”Iset the seared notebook in her lap thatIhad salvaged when we got home from the hospital. “Iknow you finished the book already, butIthought you might want this.”Itapped the cover that was well-worn after a long career of storytelling. “Youdidn’t lose yourself.Andthat’s the most important thing.You’reirreplaceable.”
“I love you,” she whispered. “AndIreally hope you’re okay with having an accidental roommate becauseIcan’t exactly leave untilIfind my keys.”
“I’ll start looking for your keys.”Ichuckled. “AndifIfind them,I’mthrowing them into the ocean.”
She traced the cover of the notebook. “Ican’t believe this survived . . . again.”
A wistful smile crossed my lips asIremembered the time she had intentionally tried to burn it.
“Sharing yourself with the world like you do?You’repowerful.Thatnotebook?It’spowerful.Together, you two create the moment when the sun clashes with the earth.Andyou know what happens?”
She looked up at me with glassy eyes full of love. “What?”
“Auroras.”Ikissed her softly. “Andit’s beautiful.Lifeis going to be hard.Butit’s also going to be spectacular.Andyou have me to walk with you in between."
We sat and simply stared at the blackened house.
“I thinkI’mready to go,” she said after a long stretch of silence. “Ineed to steal your phone and make a lot of calls.”
I tookAurora’shand to help her up, but she froze.
“What’s the matter?”
She didn’t say anything for the longest time, just stared.Itried to follow her gaze, butIcouldn’t spot what had caught her attention.
Without a word,Aurorahanded me the notebook and started moving through the bricks of the downed chimney.
“Babe, stop,”Isaid asIgrabbed the work glovesIhad stuffed into my pocket. “Everythingis unstable.Idon’t want you to get hurt.”
“Do you see that brick right there?”Shepointed to the one she was talking about. “Ithas theAuroraArcherstamp on it.”
“Is that the brickWhitneyfound the letter in?”
“No.”Aurorapointed to where we had been sitting. “Ialready found that one.Ikind of want to keep it.”Shegrabbed the gloves from me and put one on to work the second stamped brick out of the toppled chimney. “Ithink this part was toward the top.Wewouldn’t have been able to see it from the floor.”
The brick grated back and forth against the loosened mortar as she wiggled it free.Somethingmetallic fell free and skittered along the bricks.Ilunged forward and caught it before it could disappear in the pile.
“Any chance this is the key to your car?”Iasked asIheld the small key with a rounded top.
“I wish,” she muttered as she inspected the brick it had been hidden inside.
I handed the key over and let her take a closer look.
“Nothing in the house had a lock like this.Noteven the old furnitureIhad to throw out.”
“What do you think it goes to?”
Aurora slipped her gloved hand into mine and gave it a squeeze. “Iguess we’ll have to figure it out together.”
33
AURORA
“X” MARKS THE SPOT
