at the house for a long time.
Paige climbed out of the car.
“You knew we were ending our lease,” she said.
“You could have warned us.”
“I told you not to move here.
More than once.”
“You knew what we were planning!”
“Yes.
And you knew I hadn’t agreed.”
Her cheeks reddened.
“We have a child to think about.”
“So do I,” I answered, looking at Ben.
“I’ve been thinking about him for nearly forty years.
But being his mother does not mean surrendering my home whenever his plans become inconvenient.”
Ben lowered his gaze.
“We should have listened.”
Paige turned toward him.
“Don’t start blaming us.
We were trying to make the best decision for everybody.”
“Everybody except Mom,” he said.
She stared at him.
It was the first time I had heard him disagree with her about me.
I did not celebrate it.
It had taken far too long.
Ben stepped closer.
“Mom, I’m sorry.
I thought we had more time.
I thought you’d eventually want us here.”
“You wanted the answer to change so badly that you treated it as if it already had.”
He nodded.
“Our landlord has someone moving into the apartment after us.
We can’t stay.”
“Then you’ll have to find another place.”
“We’ll lose money.”
“I understand.”
“Paige already paid a contractor to draw up renovation plans.”
I looked directly at her.
“You did that without my permission.
Those expenses are yours.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
Dana had already advised me to preserve the records and make clear in writing that I had never authorized renovations.
The contractor would be notified before any work could begin.
There would be no demolition, no renovation, and no additional access to the property.
Ben leaned against his car.
“Can Lucy still see you?”
That question hurt in a different way.
“Of course she can,” I said.
“I love Lucy.
That hasn’t changed.”
I paused.
“But visits will be arranged with me.
Nobody will tell her that she’s moving into a home unless the person who owns that home has agreed.”
He nodded again.
Paige looked toward the front door.
“So that’s it? You’re just walking away?”
I glanced at the porch swing.
“No,” I replied.
“I’m walking toward something.”
A little later, the Baptistes arrived to collect their keys.
Janelle carried a small cardboard box filled with cleaning supplies.
Marcus had a roll of paper towels tucked under his arm.
Their son stayed close beside them, looking at the maple tree with unmistakable excitement.
I handed Janelle the new keys.
She closed her fingers around them carefully.
“Are you sure you don’t need another few minutes?” she asked.
I looked at the empty house one last time.
“No.
It’s ready for you.”
Before leaving, I told her about the height marks on the kitchen doorframe.
She smiled.
“Would you mind if we kept them?”
My throat tightened.
“I’d like that.”
Then I stepped off the porch and walked to Donna’s car.
The sunlight was low, turning the windows gold.
Behind me, the Baptistes opened the front door of their new home.
I didn’t look back again.
Ben and Paige eventually found a rental townhouse across town.
It wasn’t as large as my old house, and it cost considerably more than the zero
