Maya looked down at the untouched coffee cake.
“I need time to think about it,” Derek finally said.
“Of course. I’m not asking for an answer today.”
Amber agreed she also wanted time.
Her voice sounded warmer than before, though I reminded myself that kindness and agreement weren’t necessarily the same thing.
They left shortly after two.
I stayed behind.
Sitting in Dad’s armchair, positioned at the exact angle that eased his bad hip, I looked around the quiet living room and wondered whether I was truly ready to take on everything that came with keeping this place.
For Derek and Amber, the house had never carried the same memories. They hadn’t grown up here. The creek wasn’t part of their childhood. The rooster tiles were simply old kitchen tiles.
There was nothing wrong with that.
