She wrote three words at the top of her page and didn’t ask anything else.

At six, the silver sedan turned off Willow Creek Lane and rolled up the drive, its tires crunching slowly over the loose river rock.

Daniel switched off the engine, but he didn’t open his door right away.

He sat behind the wheel with both hands at twelve o’clock, staring out the windshield at the white porch posts.

When he finally got out onto the driveway, he left his phone lying face up on the passenger seat.

Chloe and Caleb were in the front room, packing their sketchbooks into their backpacks.