was still here to answer.
I opened the door.
“Yes.”
We drank coffee on the porch.
Eventually, Bradley looked toward the lake.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t want the cottage.”
I waited.
“Not like that anymore.”
He swallowed.
“I want you to have it for as long as you want it.”
For a moment, I considered reminding him that I didn’t need his permission.
Then I realized he already knew.
That was the whole point.
So I simply said,
“Good.”
After he left, I went inside.
The refrigerator door had remained
