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Perhaps she’ll find another man someday.
For me, there’s not much left. A pile of memories and dust. Why would I bring that crap into someone else’s life?
I shift my gaze up and down the street. The sidewalks are empty, sparse lights coming from the lampposts.
I step out of the car and stride to my old place. A few stairs later, I unlock the door and walk into the house.
Most of the furniture, clothes, and Emma’s toys are already at the other place. I gather a few paper pads, all filled with the drawings I have made for Emma. I collect a few more toys and empty a drawer of bakeware. I shove everything into a duffel bag and a box and slip out the door.
Swiftly, I lock the door and saunter back to my car.
A few moments later, I pull out of the driveway, death, and sadness looking at me through the small, dark windows of the house.
It feels as if I just left a graveyard.
8
JADEN
“You’rethe only person who likes to bake in the middle of the night,” I say, pitting cherries and eating every other one.
Sara’s eyebrows knit into a frown as she glances at the fruit.
“That’s all I have for the pie.”
“Got it,” I say, popping another cherry into my mouth.
She takes the bowl out of my hands and slides it to her side.
“It relaxes me,” she says. “You’re here. Emma’s sleeping. What else is there to do if not bake a pie?”
Smiling, she takes a rolling pin and spreads the dough on the table before lining a pie pan with it. It’s warm in the kitchen and smells like cherries and vanilla, reminding me of home, my childhood, and my mother.
“I miss being with you and Emma,” I murmur.
Her eyebrows lift, a baffled look sliding over her face.
“Trouble in paradise?”
I lock her eyes briefly.
“No.”
She places the cherries on the dough and sprinkles them with sugar. Then she creates an artful lattice from the dough on top of the fruit.
“What is it then?”
“I don’t know... I guess I miss a real home.”
She puts the pie dish into the oven, turns to the table, and sits across from me.
“How is her place?”
I lean back and clasp my hands behind my head, softly grinning.
“Great... If you are into designer homes that look like no one has ever truly lived there.”
A small smile brushes her lips.
