Prime’s hands moved gently up my arms.“Hey.Don’t apologize.Memories don’t work on command.”
I leaned back again and looked up at Prime.“I want to remember.I want to know.”
“I know,” he murmured.“And you will.Or we’ll find out another way.”
Pearl pointed to the newspaper clipping.“You might not have to remember everything.If they have an article about it, there has to be a police report somewhere.”
Anchor nodded slowly from the recliner.“Vin can reach out to his contact at the station.See if he can dig up anything old enough to match this.”
He stood, stretched his back, and reached a hand down to Pearl.She grabbed onto it and let him haul her up to her feet.She leaned into him and sighed contentedly.“There are a ton of clippings in there,” Pearl said.“I can go through more tonight.”
“I can help,” I offered and shifted the photo box off my lap.
“No,” Prime said immediately.
I craned my neck to look up at him again.“What?Why not?”
“Because,” he said, voice firm but warm, “you need a break from this.All of it.You had more dumped on you today than anyone should in a lifetime.”
“I can handle it,” I said, even though my body felt like overcooked spaghetti.
Prime raised an eyebrow.“Can you?”
I wilted.“I mean… probably?”
Pearl snorted.
Prime leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, and his eyes locked onto mine.“You can help tomorrow.Tonight, you’re taking a break.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the exhaustion hit me like a truck.
The emotional heaviness.
The shock.
The confusion.
The grief for a grandmother I never knew I lost.
The fear.
The hope.
All of it tangled together until my body wanted to shut down and reboot.
So instead of pushing back, I let my shoulders drop.
“Fine,” I said quietly.“But what am I supposed to do tonight?”
Pearl grinned.“Have a movie night,” she said, with a wiggle of her eyebrows.“Just you and Prime.”
Heat shot through my face so fast my ears burned.
Prime went very still behind me.
Anchor blew out a long-suffering sigh.“Pearl…”
“Nope.”Pearl crossed her arms.“They deserve something nice tonight.And I’m tired of watching these two orbit around each other like confused planets.Let them relax.”
