It had uneven floors and windows that rattled in the winter.

Nora thought I was insane to trade luxury for repairs.

But it was my choice.

That mattered.

I hired a contractor to fix the windows and found myself sitting on the floor of the future nursery, sorting paint samples.

I chose pale yellow because I wanted the room to look like sunlight even in January.

I began consulting again, using the business analysis work I’d once abandoned to accommodate Warren’s schedule.

My first client was a neighborhood nonprofit struggling to keep its after-school program open.