Karen knows she’s a tough nut to crack when it comes to her past. It’s just that there’s no one thread she can pull without unraveling it all. The diner, her family, the crash – it’s all forever caught up in knots in her head. Maybe one day she’ll be able to tease it out. Maybe one day her father will be capable of looking her in the eye. And maybe Matt will hang up the horns.

In short: it’s a whole lot of things that would probably be for the best, but are wildly unlikely to come to pass.

There’s an amused look on her face as she watches the way he gets to his feet. And then he answers her and her brow lifts in interest. Her hands rest on her lips. “Let the record show that the counsel just ceded a point to his very smart colleague.”