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My mind goes straight to the development. Rhonda is certain the city plans to reject it. Maybe Eric has heard the same thing. If that’s why he called, I don’t know what I can say. I still want the hotel stopped, but I don’t want to see him hurt.

Eric reaches for my hand.

“Hi,” he says.

“Hi.” I close my fingers around his. “What happened?”

His gaze drops to our joined hands. “Can we go upstairs?”

“Of course.”

I squeeze his hand and lead him into the building. By the time we reach my apartment, he still hasn’t said another word. Percy appears as soon as we enter and winds around Eric’s legs. Eric bends to scratch him behind the ears, then follows me into the living room. He takes off his jacket but stands there holding it, as if he’s forgotten what comes next. I take it from him and drape it over a chair.

“Come sit with me,” I say.

We take a seat on the couch.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“Not really.”

“Okay.”

He turns his head, as if he expected me to push. I settle against his side. His arm comes around me at once, pulling me close. For a moment, I take his silence as proof that I was right. City Hall must have called. If it did, he’ll tell me when he’s ready.

We sit without speaking. Percy jumps onto the other end of the couch, and Eric runs his thumb slowly over my arm. After a few minutes, some of the tension leaves his shoulders.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

He keeps his gaze on the blank television.

“Say you were married and had children,” he says. “The marriage ended, and they stayed with their father.”

That isn’t what I was expecting.

“Why would they stay with him?”

“It’s hypothetical.”

“Okay.”

“He makes it difficult for you to see them. He blocks your calls and doesn’t pass on your messages.”

“Then I take him to court.”

“What if the children are angry with you? Maybe you think they don’t want you around.”

“They can be angry. That doesn’t mean they’re getting rid of me.”

“But say you’d moved on. You had a new husband, more children. A whole life.”

“That wouldn’t make the first children any less mine.”

Eric’s jaw tightens. “But your ex keeps making it difficult⁠—”

“Then I keep fighting. I call, I show up, and I take him back to court as many times as I have to. He doesn’t get to stop me from being their mother because it makes his life easier.”