THEIR LAST WEEKS IN Spain slipped away. The worst of the summer heat passed, and the days grew shorter, the quality of the air clearer. Autumn was approaching.
On their last Friday alone before Callum was scheduled to arrive, Nerea watched as Jamie announced they should have a romantic candlelit dinner together, then stood on tiptoe to swipe a pair of silver candlesticks down from the top of one of the kitchen cabinets.
“Do you know what those are?” Nerea asked. She needed a step ladder to reach them.
He stared at them, testing the weight of them in his hands. “No?”
“Put them on the table, and I’ll tell you a funny story. Which is not actually funny, but that’s generally how stories work here.”
“Your house?” Jamie asked, still holding the candlesticks.
Nerea took them away gently and
