Page 52 of Reeves

"That's amazing, buddy." I lean down to inspect his treasure. "It does look like a tooth."

His eyes narrow with concentration as he turns the shell over. Those eyes. So green they almost glow in the morning light.

"I'm going to bring it for show and tell," Benjy decides, tucking it into his bucket. "Nobody else will have a real dinosaur tooth."

He races off again, already spotting his next adventure near the water.

“Those eyes,” she says softly. “They’re Reeves’s.”

I don’t answer.

For five years those eyes have looked back at me every morning across the kitchen table.

“What are you building now?” I call.

“A trap!” he shouts without looking up. “For pirates!”

Mom laughs quietly.

I fold my arms across my chest.

“He deserves to know his father,” she says finally. "One day he will start asking questions, and it's important that he knows you didn't try to keep him from his father. Trust me on that."

The words settle heavily in the space between us.

“And Reeves deserves to know him, too.”

Benjy waves at us from the waterline, pointing proudly. I check the time on my watch.

“Benjy,” I yell out to him. “Buddy, we have to head back soon. School.”

I sinkinto my chair after my last appointment, the familiar squeak as it tilts back bringing a small sense of relief. Three patient charts wait in the plastic tray, each needing notes from last week's sessions.

I focus on documentation, letting the clinical language pull my attention away from the beach conversation still sitting at the edge of my thoughts.

My phone buzzes. I turn it over to see a text from Mom.

Benjy and I are making cookies. He says chocolate chips are mandatory. Don’t worry about rushing home.

A smile tugs at my lips. She knows exactly what I need right now.

I switch to my computer and click through emails. Appointment requests. Supply orders. A message from the pediatric conference committee.

Then I see it. Dr. Henderson’s name in bold. My shoulders tense as I open it.

Dear Ms. Parsons,

While I was disappointed to hear you are not interested in partnering with MidSouth Pediatric Partners, I wanted to express our continued admiration for your practice and methods. The door remains open should you reconsider in the future. We pride ourselves on flexibility and would always be willing to find a way to come together that works for both parties.

Warm regards, Dr. James Henderson

The language is polite, but the message is the same.

I close the email without replying.

My finger traces the edge of my desk. Every inch of this space is something I chose. Something I built.

Reeves wanting to meet Benjy pushes back in.