“I don’t want to.”

“Then you don’t have to.”

She put the pencil down, satisfied.

That night we planted another row of marigolds beside the patio.

Hailey dug each hole carefully, insisting that the flowers needed enough space to spread.

When she finished, she brushed the soil from her hands and looked up at me.

“Daddy, remember when I was little and you came home and found me outside?”

“I remember.”