“Can I call you tomorrow?”
“Yes. But don’t call to ask about moving in.”
After they left, I stood in front of Paul’s portrait.
The room looked like mine again.
But something about my relationship with Daniel had changed, and I knew it wouldn’t be repaired by a single apology.
I called Moira.
“You’re home early?” she asked.
“Apparently, not early enough.”
I told her everything.
She listened without interrupting.
When I finished, she said, “You know you can stay with me whenever you want.”
“I know.”
“And you know you don’t have to.”
I smiled for the first time that afternoon.
“That’s exactly what Daniel forgot.”
Over the next few weeks, I heard from my son regularly.
At first, our conversations were awkward.
He told me he’d contacted the landlord, who agreed to let them extend their lease for three months.
The rent would increase slightly, so he and Brittany were cutting expenses and searching for something affordable.
