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“No,” she says, looking up quickly. “Just wondering if Charlotte will ever have a mysterious half-sibling out there somewhere.”

“Oh…” I shake my head. “No, probably not.”

“Okay.” Her eyes fall to the paper again. “Are you⁠—”

“Do you want to have more kids?” I ask over her.

She turns her head back up. “With you?”

“No. In general.”

Anna leans back and thinks. “I don’t know. Maybe. Someday. Doing the single parent thing is… hard.” She exhales. “It’s wonderful, but hard. I don’t want to do it again without a partner.”

I nod. “Makes sense.”

“But, you know…” She looks at me and her voice lingers in the back of her throat, eventually failing completely.

I lean forward. “What?”

“If I change my mind and do want another baby,” she says slowly, “would you be willing to donate again?”

I swallow. “Uh…”

“Scrap that question.”

“No, it’s ok⁠—”

She recoils. “I don’t know where that came from,” she says, briefly covering her face. “It’s not even on the paper. Please, just forget I even asked that. Never mind.”

“Yes,” I answer.

Anna holds her breath and takes a moment before looking up at me. “Yes?”

“Yes,” I say again. “If you decide you want another one down the line, then sure. Couples use the same donors all the time, don’t they? Might be nice for Charlotte to have a full-blooded sibling, right?”

She blows out slowly. “Right. Yeah.”

I bounce my shoulders once. “Then, okay. I’ll donate again. Just let me know.”

“I guess I’ll keep that in mind,” she says. “Thanks.”

I glance around at the walls of the truck. They suddenly feel like they’re closing in, just seconds away from crushing us both.

“Anyway…” Anna slides the paper back into her folder and closes it, barely looking at me. “I think that’s… all I needed.”

I push off the counter. “Well, if you think of anything else, feel free to come back. The door for questions is always open to you — and her, if she ever needs it.”

“I will.”

I grab the order pad behind me and write down my cell number on the top sheet. I tear it off. “In case you think of something outside of business hours.”

Anna takes it. “Thank you.” She looks around again. “Sorry about your truck.”

I laugh. “It’s okay. All in the name of justice, right?”

She smiles. “Bye, Milo.”

I salute. “Detective.” I spot the cup of hot sauce on the counter and grab it. “Wait, Detective.”