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Caldwell nodded. He tapped the figure with the cupcake, then pointed at the kitchen door.

“You want to know when she’s coming back?”

Another nod.

Caldwell had met dozens of people at the reunion. Many had known him his entire life. He tolerated most of them with quiet affection, though genuine interest came more selectively. Sloane had reached him without forcing anything. She had seen what he needed in a crowded room and created space around it.

“She’ll be back real soon,” I said.

Caldwell studied me for a moment, deciding whether I knew that for certain. I hoped I did.

He drew a fourth figure beside Sloane. This one held a phone.

“Is that you?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“Trevor?”

Another shake, then he added a wide smile and long hair.

“Grandma Ruth?”

Caldwell nodded as he drew an enormous speech bubble over her head.

I laughed. “Accurate.”

Grinning, he continued drawing.

Julie watched me with an intensity that usually meant a psychological interrogation was imminent. She deliberately waited until I had finished half the bowl of soup, giving the kitchen a chance to settle into a deceptive lull before she launched her opening salvo.

“So,” she began, her tone far too casual as she wiped up a nonexistent spill on the counter. “Is Sloane coming back out here soon?”

I kept my attention firmly anchored to the ceramic bowl, focusing intensely on a piece of diced carrot as if it held the secrets of the universe. “Probably.”

“‘Probably’ is a defensive maneuver, Hudson,” Julie countered, tilting her head. “Did she actually say those words to you, or are you just operating on general optimism?”

“We talk,” I muttered, deliberately spooning more soup into my mouth to avoid looking at her.

“I know.” Julie smirked.

Mom flipped a page of her notes with a crisp snap, entirely clear of the conversation but perfectly synchronized with it.

“Everyone knows,” she remarked, not looking up from the text.

I glanced over at her, my spoon hovering. “Why does everyone know? Is there a formal announcement posted on the fridge that I missed?”

“Because this family has eyes, big brother,” Jason piped up, his fingers flying across his phone screen.

“Some of us also have ears,” Byron added, his voice flat and perfectly level as he turned the page of his book without lifting his head. “And frankly, your private text notifications buzzing all the time is kind of annoying.”

I sighed. “Good to know the family surveillance system remains fully operational and appropriately intrusive.”

Julie leaned on her elbows across from me, shifting her weight forward to cut off my escape route. “Are you planning to ask her out, or are you just going to exchange administrative reminders until you’re both ninety?”

The spoon stopped halfway to my mouth. A sudden, heavy stillness descended over the entire room. Jason lowered his phone, his head snapping toward us with immediate interest. Byron paused, his finger marking his page as his reading speed dropped to zero. Even Mom looked up from her notes briefly.

I set the spoon against the ceramic with a quiet click. “Can we absolutely not do this in front of a live studio audience?”