I’m by the sink, rinsing out a mug that has been used for exactly one sip of cocoa and then abandoned. I lean back against the counter and watch Wyatt pace as he tries to wear a groove into the floor.
“Hey,” I say carefully, using the same tone I use on skittish horses and my kids when they’re holding scissors. “You good?”
Wyatt stops.
Looks at the kettle.
Looks at the cabinet.
Looks at the wall for an answer.
“Mm,” he says.
That is not a “good.”
“That sounded like a noise someone makes right before they admit they’ve joined a cult,” I tell him. “Wanna try again?”
He exhales through his nose. Long. Controlled. The kind of breath you take when you’re trying not to say something that’s already standing at the edge of your tongue.
“I’m fine,” he says.
I lift my brows. “You’re doing great at lying today.”
His jaw tightens. He turns the faucet on, wets his hands, and then washes them as if guilt is contagious and the CDC is watching.
Meanwhile, my children have noticed the vibe shift.
Eliza sits up and stares at Wyatt curiously.
Caleb follows her gaze, dramatic as ever, and whispers, “He’s haunted.”
Wyatt flinches, which means he probably heard him, because Wyatt hears everything. He finally glances toward them.
“Oh, hey,” he says, softer. “Sorry.”
Eliza tilts her head. “Are you sad?”
Wyatt blinks. “I… don’t think so.”
She nods, serious as a judge. “Okay. But you look like Daddy when the smoke alarm beeped, and he couldn’t find the ladder.”
That hits me in the ego a little, but she’s not wrong.
Wyatt clears his throat. “I’m just tired, sweetheart.”
Caleb, who has never met a moment he couldn’t make more intense, whispers, “Tired is when your soul needs a nap.”
Wyatt’s mouth twitches, not sure whether to laugh or cry.
He turns back to the sink, dries his hands, and, this is how I know the universe has jokes, his eyes land on the counter behind me.
On the candle.
Abilene’s candle.
Hearthlight.
Sweet Haven Honey Co., labeled in that neat, careful handwriting that someone took their time over, because they actually care about the details.
