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She waltzes inside with a plastic container. “I brought you dinner.”
I grab it from her. “How did you know where I was?”
“Got an alert from the driveway camera you installed a few years ago.” Her eyes shimmer from unshed tears as they flickeraround the shop.
I brush my hand across my sawdust-covered shirt. “It’s a bit of a mess.”
She blinks a few times before turning to face me with a watery smile. “I was wondering when you would finally come back.”
“I saw you kept it nice and clean for me over the years.”
“Your dad would have hated it,” she says.
“With every fiber of his being.”
We both laugh.
“I knew it was only a matter of time before you returned, so I didn’t want it to be a mess for you.”
My chest swells with emotion. “You think of everything.”
“Now come and eat before your food goes cold.” Mom ushers me over to a stool and forces me to try some of her famous pozole.
I pause mid-bite. “You didn’t pass by only to bring me food, did you?”
She swipes her finger across the table, collecting sawdust and debris. “I wanted to see what my felonious son was working on for Dahlia.”
“I never said it was for her.”
She snorts. “Right.”
My mom can’t sit still, so she shuffles through my plans and notes while I finish eating.
She holds up the paper marked with a bunch of measurements and notes. “You’re building this?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“For the Founder’s house?”
“Yup.”
Ma releases the happiest squeal. “She’s going to love it.”
“Don’t mention anything to Dahlia.”
She holds her hands up. “I wouldn’t dare.”
While I eat, she quickly becomes distracted by the shelf near the back of the shed.
“Oh Julian. This is beautiful!” She runs a hand across the top of the jewelry box I made before spinning the hand crank a few times. “You got it to play music!”
The first few chords of the song play, and her eyes widen. “It’s perfect.”
I rub the back of my neck. “You think so?”
“Of course.” Mom places the finished jewelry box back on the shelf before kissing the top of my head. “I’ll let you get to your secret project, then.”
“Do you want to help me?” My question rushes out.
