“To sell”—the mere sound of that word grated, harsh like nails on glass.

Yvonne’s face turned pale.

The temperature in the car dropped to an arctic low.

Jasper tried to steer the conversation back to safer waters. “Next time, then! Whenever you’re free.”

But no matter how hard he worked to patch things up, the chasm between Yvonne and Samuel remained—a distance neither near nor far, but unbridgeable all the ...