I painted until my arms ached and the sun started going down.
Caleb had been right about the stain. Right about a lot of things, probably. How to show up. How to be patient. How to just be good to someone.
I dipped the brush again and kept going.
CHAPTER 26: ELENA
Dad's porch light was on when I pulled up Thursday evening. Daisy saw the house and started whining before I'd even turned off the engine.
"Yeah, I know. We're here."
I opened the door and she bolted, bounding up the porch steps to where Dad was already waiting. He crouched down and let her jump all over him, knees creaking in protest.
"Yeah, yeah. I missed you too." He scratched behind her ears, and she melted. Absolutely shameless.
"She likes you better than me," I said, climbing the steps.
"I feed her table scraps. You feed her that organic nonsense." He stood up, gave me a quick one-armed hug. "Come on. Chili's almost done."
Inside, the house smelled like cumin and chili powder and cornbread. Thursday dinners had been Dad's rule since I'd moved closer to the clinic. Weekly check-ins disguised as chili night. I grabbed the oven mitts and pulled out the cornbread while Dad stirred the pot on the stove.
"Want to grab the bowls?" he asked.
I pulled two from the cabinet, the blue ceramic ones Mom had loved, and set them on the table. Daisy had already sprawledon the kitchen floor in her usual spot, watching us both like this was the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen.
We worked in comfortable silence. Him ladling chili, me slicing cornbread, the routine so familiar I didn't have to think about it.
"So," Dad said as we sat down. "Caleb Wright."
I almost dropped my spoon. "How did you?—"
"Margie told me. Ran into her at Mae's last week." He took a bite of chili, unbothered. "You know how she is. Been my receptionist for twenty years, now she's yours, and she still reports back like I'm her boss."
"Unbelievable."
"She said you've been smiling. At work." He looked at me. "That got my attention."
I stared at my bowl. "It's new. And I wasn't hiding it. I just didn't know what to say yet."
"You don't have to say anything." He went back to his chili. "But I'm glad."
"Yeah?"
"Caleb's good people. Used to see him around with his grandmother when he was a kid. Went straight into construction out of high school, worked his way up." He ate another bite. "He built those shelves in my workshop, you know. Few years back. Still solid. That tells you what you need to know."
I felt something ease in my chest. "Yeah. It does."
"He treating you right?"
"Yeah. He is."
Dad nodded, satisfied. "Good."
We ate in silence for a moment. Daisy had gotten up and positioned herself next to Dad's chair, staring with those big hopeful eyes.
"Don't even think about it," I said.
Dad slipped her a piece of cornbread.
