I nodded, tears spilling now. “I won’t.”
James stood and put his coat back on—not to disguise himself, but because he didn’t need the disguise anymore.
As he walked toward the exit, the diner seemed brighter, like someone had turned up the lights.
Before he stepped out, he paused and glanced back.
“Kindness,” he said, “is the best way to find the truth about people.”
Then he left.
The bell jingled again.
And for the first time since I’d started working at Riverside Diner, the sound didn’t feel like a warning.
It felt like a beginning.
