Page 217 of Bend

Her fingers close around mine.

“Thank you,.”

My throat tightens.

“For what?”

She smiles, it’s soft, but genuine as her eyes drift toward Thorne, “For bringing them together. He loved you both, so much, and you all deserved more time,”

She glances toward the team behind me. “The team, your little family, it meant everything to him. Every phone call was somebody’s name, some ridiculous story, something one of you had done. He loved this life here.”

Her gaze comes back to me.

“But you made him happy in a way I hadn’t heard in a long time.”

I don’t know what to do with that.

“Thank you.”

It sounds inadequate.

She squeezes my hand.

“I know it won’t be easy, but you keep living in that cabin, okay? Make it yours. He would want that.”

I nod because speaking feels dangerous.

She hugs me once more, then leaves with Wolfe’s dad.

I stay at the garage another half hour before I can’t anymore.

Nobody stops me when I grab my keys.

I think they understand.

****

The cabin is quiet when I get back.

The afternoon sun comes through the windows in long golden strips, catching dust in the air and warming the worn wood floors. I stand inside the door for a minute with Wolfe’s keys still in my hand, listening to absolutely nothing.

Then I drop them into the little bowl on the table.

The sound feels too loud.

His jacket is still hanging by the kitchen.

I haven’t moved it. I probably won’t.

At some point this has to stop being a museum and become the place I live, but today I don’t have the energy to decide what stays and what goes.

I sink onto the couch and stare at the opposite wall.

This is mine now.

That still feels wrong.

It’s not that I don’t want it, but because I do. Hell maybe that’s the worst part.