"Of course," Karen says, not needing to stop to consider that for a moment, her hand still curled around his. "Whatever you need. You're always welcome here." The words come easily, without thought, but they're true, too. While she can't claim to have been completely honest with a single person here, keeping as much hidden as she has for a long time, she's come closer to it with John than anyone else, and she thinks he would understand that. He has secrets, too. It seems to be an unspoken agreement — she won't ask about his if he won't ask about hers, and as far as she can tell, it suits them well enough.

Right now, it means there's nothing here that she would need to keep from him, no part of her life in Darrow that she would try to keep closed off to him. If being here with her will help him even the slightest bit, then she wouldn't want him to be anywhere else.