It was a pity she hadn't realized that before Jack had come along to wreck her life. Though in many ways, he had perhaps saved her. She was no longer content to drift. She wanted, needed, something more out of life. "What does it matter to you what I have and haven't got to go home to?"
His gaze briefly searched hers, and then he shrugged and said, "It's your life."
"That it is," she muttered, and turned away.
She could feel his gaze on her back, curious, and, perhaps, a little angry.
"Sam," he called softly after a few seconds.
She hesitated, and half turned around. "What?"
"Thanks."
In the hazel depths of his eyes, she saw the warmth, the longing, he would never admit and never unleash. In many ways, Gabriel Stern was just as imprisoned by his memories of the past as she was by her lack of them.
And there was nothing she could do or say to free him. The choice was his, and it had been made long ago.
"Forget about it," she said, and walked away.