Money I’d saved through overtime, skipped vacations, and years of packing lunch instead of buying it.
Frank had always mocked those little habits.
Now my savings were helping finance a deal involving my own house.
I wanted to call him.
Scream, maybe.
Instead, I forwarded everything to Miriam.
Then I changed the passwords on every account I owned.
Graham arrived after work with groceries.
“Thought you might need dinner.”
He set chicken, potatoes, and a bag of green beans on the counter.
I laughed.
“What?”
“Nothing. I just realized you’re the first person in a long time who showed up without asking me for something.”
His smile faded.
“Celia, I don’t want your house.”
“I know.”
“And I don’t want you thinking you owe me anything.”
I looked at him.
“I know that, too.”
We ate dinner on the back porch.
The old bench stood between us, sanded smooth but not yet stained.
