After a morning meeting with the team, Jennifer and I go out for lunch to discuss our plan of action.

I choose a new place I’ve not been to before, some kind of upscale coffee joint that serves its food on things that aren’t plates. I have pancakes on a platter that looks like a clock face. I frown as the syrup leaks off the edge and forms a sticky ring in front of me.

Jennifer hides a smile as she takes a triumphant bite of a salmon and cream cheese bagel without spilling a crumb.

At least the coffee is good—espresso, black.

“Did you read the fourth draft of the proposal last night, Ethan?”

I nod. “It’s excellent. They’ve done everything I’ve asked them.”

“You need to make sure you kill the presentation. That shouldn’t be a problem. Healy loves you. Go through everything like we planned, and it’s in the bag.”

“It’s all come together,” I agree. “We have to keep our eye on Vincent until the very end. I’m still preparing for his last-minute strike.”

Jennifer lets out an audible groan. “You’re getting paranoid, Ethan.”

“If Vincent wasn’t after blood, then why would he go after Lily?”

“Maybe because your app matched them. That’s kind of the point.”

I shake my head. “No. It’s more than that. He’s up to something.”

“We both know that. He’s trying to distract you, but he’s already failed. The fourth draft is as good as that proposal’s going to get, and you’re ready to talk seriously with Healy. It’s pretty much a case now of crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s.” She licks a smear of cream cheese off a finger, then adds, “And winning back your girl.”

“I know which one’s going to be harder.”

Jennifer shakes her head slowly. “You really went over there and told her that Vincent was using her to get to you? I told you that was a bad idea.”

“I know, I know. But I had to explain to her why I’d come back to Payson.”

“And you couldn’t have said ‘I missed you’?”

“I’m not good at this stuff, Jen.”

“Tell me about it.” She finishes the last mouthful of her lunch and sits back. “I still don’t know anything about this mysterious love of your life that you’d never mentioned until last week. Tell me about her. How’d you meet? How long were you together? What happened?”

“It’s a long story.”

“We’ve got time.”

“Her name is Lily. We used to live close to each other as kids. Then we went to the same high school and started dating. I graduated first and stuck around, working in a factory, waiting for her to graduate. The plan was to travel the world together.”

“What changed?”

“My mom got sick and passed away.”

Jennifer’s face creases in sympathy. She knows I have no family, and I’m sure she knows the story, but I’ve never told her myself before.

I gesture to the waitress for a refill, then turn back to Jen. “After that, Lily’s dreams and mine weren’t the same anymore. I wanted more. I loved her, but I needed to go my own way.”

“Why couldn’t you have stayed? Wouldn’t she have understood?”

“Lily would have done anything for me,” I say. “If I’d have told her that I was going to Columbia, she would have followed me—and she’d have been miserable. I never wanted to change her.”

I take a sip of the fresh espresso and let my gaze grow distant. “I thought she’d find someone else. I can’t believe she’s still on her own.”

“Maybe you two were meant to be,” Jennifer says, leaning forward on the table with a dreamy smile. “She’s still available, and you’ve realized you made a mistake.”

“Except she’s not still free, is she? Vincent’s managed to sink his claws into her.”

“It’s only been a couple of dates, Ethan. You two have history. You can win her back.”

“How?”

“You need to make a gesture. Show her that you care.”

“I told you before, Jen—she’s not the sort of girl who’s going to swoon at diamonds or a new car.”

“I’m not talking about throwing money at her. I’m talking about the kind of gesture that comes from the heart, something that will be meaningful to her.”

“Hmm.”

“Trust me,” Jennifer says with confidence. “I’m a woman, after all.”

* * *

I’m proud of Lily. Sitting in the auditorium amongst the hundreds of others watching the class graduate, Lily is all I see.

She spots me, grins, and waves. She’s wearing a black dress, heels, a gown, and her graduation cap. The tassel keeps falling in front of her eyes, and she keeps flicking it back.

When they call her name, her family goes wild, cheering and clapping. Next to them, I clap too, a deep sadness growing inside me.

I watch Lily from a distance. She’s an adult now. As she steps up to accept her diploma, I know it’s almost the end. My new job begins next week; I leave in three days.

The ceremony ends, and I stand back from the crowds for a while as Lily hugs her parents and takes a thousand photographs. Her smile is so huge. It’s impossible to lose her among all the other students.

Half an hour later, she starts to look around over the heads of everyone around her. She spots me in the distance, standing under a tree on the grounds.

She leaves her parents milling with the others and joins me. She stands on her tiptoes to kiss me, her eyes shining.

“Congratulations,” I say. “I’m terribly proud of you.”

Her diploma is seized in her fist, and she laughs happily. “This is it, Ethan! We’re done with school. I can’t believe this is finally happening!”

“I got something for you.”

I hand her the little wrapped parcel that I’ve been carrying in my pocket all day. As her fingers begin to peel apart the paper, I worry that she’ll be disappointed. The size and shape of the gift could be mistaken for jewelry.

My doubts disappear when Lily finishes unwrapping the present. Her eyes light up. She grins and throws her arms around my neck, kissing me deeply.

“Watercolors? Ethan, thank you! I love them.” She opens the tin and bites down on her lip with excitement as her eyes wander over the fresh colors. “I’ll be able to use them when we start our adventures.”

The knife of guilt twists in my stomach. I say nothing. I just wrap my arm around her and lead her back toward the graduates. “We’ll make plans later,” I tell her. “Today is about you.”

* * *

“When I first saw Lily in the park after all that time, I thought she was going to walk right by me.”

“I bet she didn’t even recognize you.”

“She did. I could see it in her eyes. Shock. Anger.”

“Eleven years is a long time to go without reaching out.”

I nod slowly. “When she said I could see her again, it was amazing. I guess I didn’t even realize how much I’d been missing her until she was in front of me again.” I pause, then shake my head. “That’s a lie. I’ve missed her every damned day.”

“Now’s your chance to win her back. That’s why we’re here.”

“Maybe it would be easy if Vincent wasn’t in the mix. I’m the guy who left her—twice—and he’s her one true soulmate, according to Destiny. He’ll be telling her everything and anything to make her fall for him.”

“If she loves you, she’ll come back to you. And if she’s moved on, then maybe that’s the way it’s meant to be. At least you’ll have closure.”

“I just don’t know how I’m ever going to get her to forgive me. I tried to explain myself, and she didn’t want to hear it. I tried to say I was sorry.”

“From what you told me, it wasn’t much of an apology,” Jennifer says. “Sounds more like you rambled on about Vincent’s conspiracies and lost sight of the real issue—like you always do. If you really love Lily, then you need to forget about Vincent, one hundred percent. What you do from this point has to come from the heart. Talk to her like Vincent was never in the picture. Lay yourself out, Ethan. Don’t hold back.”

“I’ve been an idiot, Jen. You were right about this rivalry with Vincent. You told me that if we kept going, I’d end up losing something that mattered. If I’d have thought for one second that he’d go after her, I would have backed off years ago. Lily—she’s what matters.”

Jennifer’s smile is soft and warm. “I’m glad you finally see sense, Ethan. Win Lily back, and draw a line under this whole Vincent thing. Be the bigger man, walk away, and be happy. That’s the real victory.”