Zach merely nodded at the news of Jo's family, not particularly taking note of Earth having a new book. The fact that she clearly hadn't returned to reunite with them had his eyebrows furrowing. Had she taken a new job? He supposed that Scotland likely had a few archeological sites, but he wasn't knowledgeable enough to know if any were located near Johnstone. In fact, he knew very little of the town that they were currently in aside from its name.

He reluctantly allowed the awkward silence to spread, unsure what sort of safe topic they should direct their attention to next. He yearned to learn the truth of her disappearance and sudden return. He had received little correspondence from her, while he had nearly written her daily at the beginning. Any other person might be furious, but Zach was just heartbroken. He had replayed their final weeks over and over in his head, trying to determine what could have been done differently.

"Are you in Scotland long?" He finally decided on. It was open-ended enough that Jo could merely meet the query with a yes or a no, or she could elaborate. He wouldn't pry, though he desperately wished to demand answers.