His gaze paused at the refrigerator, though I could not tell whether he was looking at the magnet, the drawing, or simply the room he was leaving.

He said goodbye to Noah.

Mara answered his goodbye quietly.

I opened the door because I was standing nearest it.

He stepped onto the porch.

“I’ll contact you,” he said.

“All right.”

There was nothing dramatic about the sound of the door closing.