Chapter 78

He rose to his feet when Emma finally set down her fork. “Let me clear these dishes. You two just relax.”

“Gideon, you don’t have to…” Emma started.

“Emma, stay here and finish this wine with me,” Jesse interrupted, refilling her glass.

She nodded and settled back in her seat, taking the glass from Jesse’s fingers. Gideon quickly cleared their dishes, but he could pick up their hushed conversation as he walked into the kitchen.

“Is he letting you in at all?” Jesse murmured.

“No. He’s completely blocking me.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Why won’t he believe us?”

“I guess he won’t let himself.” There was a pause, then the clink of glass meeting the tabletop. “It probably seems absurd that we can forgive him when he can’t forgive himself.”

“So what do we do?”

Gideon wanted to walk back out and say they didn’t need to do anything, but he was a little curious about Jesse’s response. He scraped off the plates, listening for what came next.