"It does," Catherine admitted.
The girl came around the desk and put her arms around her mother. Catherine set down her phone and held her properly, both arms wrapped around a child who had become taller and more watchful while her mother's attention had been divided between crises. For once, Catherine did not think about the board, Richard, or the agenda waiting in her email. She remained where she was until Lily loosened her hold.
"I don't want you to lose the company," Lily whispered.
"I don't either."
"But I don't want you to disappear inside it, either."
Catherine closed her eyes. "I hear you," she said. This time, she made herself understand that hearing was not the same as promising. The next day would require action, and some of that action had nothing to do with the shareholder vote.
Saturday morning came quietly, with a thin layer of mist above the lower end of the property and a forecast that promised clear skies by noon. Daniel arrived at 7:13, unloaded his equipment, and walked the completed fence before touching a tool. He checked every post, the tension in the mesh, the drainage he had improved, and the small gap beneath the gate that would allow water to pass without carrying soil away. The work was sound, and he allowed himself the modest satisfaction of a problem solved correctly.
Noah was spending the morning at his friend Marcus Jr.'s house, and the empty passenger seat had felt oddly loud during the drive. Daniel had asked him the previous night whether he wanted to come along, but Noah had an important arrangement involving a sleepover, a complicated board game, and a breakfast promised by his friend's mother. Daniel did not press. He liked that Noah had a world of his own beyond the one they had made together.
Catherine came out at seven-fifteen carrying two mugs of coffee. Her hair was loose, and she wore a simple knit sweater over dark trousers, an appearance so different from the woman in the driveway the previous afternoon that Daniel almost looked twice. She placed his mug on the toolbox and stood several feet away. Neither spoke for a moment, and Daniel returned his attention to the hinges he had removed from the old gate.
"I owe you another apology," Catherine said at last.
He stood and faced her.
"I spent half the night thinking about what I said. I kept trying to find a way to explain it that would make me sound less cruel. Richard was there, and the company is in trouble, and I'm worried about Lily. All of those things are true, and none is a reason to speak to you that way."
Daniel nodded once. "Thank you for saying that."
"I'm not asking you to forget it. I would like you to know I won't speak about your work like that again, whether you're here or whether you're not."