A lawn chair lay on its side near a garage, caught halfway between being used and being stored for the season.

Nothing in the neighborhood had rearranged itself to reflect what had happened to us.

At my driveway, Mara turned off the engine.

“Do you want me to come in?”

“Not yet.”

She studied my face, and I understood why.

There had been a time when those words would have meant that I was sending her away so Evan would not be annoyed.

This time I wanted a few minutes inside my own home to hear myself think.