My eyes roamed over all the guests at my table; Kacey, Carla, and Sam were all there. And, of course, Jenna.

After a fire, you debrief.

A debrief was a chance to talk about what had happened, and figure out what happened next. It was a chance to check that everybody was doing all right. I guess that was why I’d arranged this night. I just wanted to check that everybody was still in one piece and that everybody would be all right.

We’d enjoyed a stress-free evening where we’d hardly spoken about Victor and the fire. Instead, we’d all appreciated the chance to look to the future instead. We’d eaten dinner; we’d drunk wine. Now, we were all pleasantly light-headed, and talking about what life held for each of us now.

“So, Carla,” Jenna asked with a smile, “has it been confirmed?”

Carla tilted her head in confusion. “What?”

Jenna gestured to her and Sam, who were sitting practically on each other’s laps, arms about each other. “Will the move be permanent?”

Carla giggled and twisted to look at Sam, her arms about his neck. “What do we think, babe? Can you handle me long-term?”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

They kissed for long enough to make Kacey tell them to get a room, but we all laughed. Everybody was in high spirits. The last few weeks had been intense for us all, but there was finally light at the end of the tunnel.

“What about you, Jenna?” Carla asked. “Are you going to stay with Kacey?”

Jenna looked over at me uncertainly, and then smiled and shook her head. “I think I’m going to find my own place again.”

“Nothing’s been decided yet,” I said.

She looked back at me, and her smile grew. Her eyes were soft and full of affection, and her hand closed around mine. She was sitting on the chair beside me. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her close.

“What we do know,” I continued, “is that Jenna has been accepted at college. She’s going to finish her degree.”

Carla gasped with delight and clapped her hands. The others all quickly congratulated her, too.

Jenna smiled and laughed. “Thanks, everyone.” She gave a little, modest shrug. “After everything that’s happened, I’m more determined than ever to make a life that’s good.”

As Jenna said the words, I looked at her and realized that life was good. With Victor out the way, nothing was standing between us. It had been a tough few weeks, but I didn’t regret sticking by Jenna for a moment. The whole situation had proven to me how incredible she was—so tough. Resilient. A survivor.

When I’d heard about what Jenna had done at Kacey’s apartment, I’d been angry and in awe at the same time. I’d been furious that she’d gone after Victor on her own—she could have been killed—but also so proud of her. She’d faced him for Kacey’s sake, and mine. Even knowing that Victor was dangerous, she refused to let his evil affect Kacey. I thought she’d been incredibly selfless and brave.

More than that, she’d won. Victor had been arrested, and the trial was forthcoming. Jenna’s 911 transcript was on record, and Victor had as good as confessed about the fire. With the footage of his truck from the traffic cameras and the recovered gasoline cans from Kacey’s backyard, his conviction was looking pretty certain.

Turns out that he had taken the truck from the police impound as well, so there was a whole other set of charges he was facing. Arson, breaking the terms of a restraining order, assault, and theft. The prosecutors were attempting to try him for attempted murder because of the fire, but even if they failed to pin him on that charge, there was a multitude of others he had to account for that would see him put away for a long time.

After dinner, Kacey joined me in the kitchen to help clear away the dishes while Jenna hosted Sam and Carla.

She gave me a friendly nudge as she was drying a plate, and smiled. “I think she’s a keeper, you know. She’s got some guts. That’s for sure.”

“I think she’s incredible.”

Kacey’s smile became softer. “I’m glad. You deserve some happiness. And I think Jenna makes you happy. Hold onto her, Nate. If you two can get through something like this, then you can get through anything. Seems like you’re made for each other.”