She held it against her chest.
“Thank you, Mom.”
I nodded.
On the morning I finally handed Alan the keys, the sky over Lake Pend Oreille was clear.
The house was empty.
My furniture had been moved.
The kitchen cupboards were bare.
I walked through each room one last time.
Then I stepped onto the deck.
The lake stretched out beneath the mountains, blue and quiet.
I remembered Thomas standing beside me on the first morning we owned the place.
He’d brought two cups of coffee outside and said we should buy a boat.
We never bought one.
Instead, we spent twenty-three years watching other people’s boats cross the water.
I smiled at the memory.
Then I heard footsteps behind me.
Alan stood in the doorway.
“Take your time,” he said.
I shook my head.
“I’m ready.”
We walked toward the front entrance.
I turned the lock and checked it once.
Then I placed the keys in his hand.
Alan looked toward the lake.
“I think my grandchildren are going to love it here.”
I smiled.
“I hope they do.”
He thanked me.
Then he stepped inside.
I walked down the porch steps toward my car.
