“And grounds?”
“Yes.”
“In the cup?”
“Yes.”
Ethan took a sip.
It was terrible.
“Perfect.”
Lily sat beside him.
Victoria arrived forty minutes later.
Her sedan could not make it through one muddy section, so she left it near the road and walked.
Ethan saw her coming.
Dark raincoat.
Boots.
Hair pulled back.
No assistant.
No helicopter.
She stopped beside the ruined barn.
“Oh.”
That one syllable contained more honesty than a dozen dramatic reactions.
Ethan nodded.
“Yeah.”
Victoria spent the next six hours working.
Not directing.
Working.
She helped Lily collect broken shingles from the yard.
Held lumber while Ethan temporarily braced the damaged wall.
Carried feed to the dry section.
Made calls only when Ethan asked.
Around noon, Richard arrived with two trucks from one of Hayes Global’s nearby facilities.
Ethan confronted him.
“I didn’t ask for this.”
Richard looked at the barn.
“I know.”
“Then why are your trucks here?”
“Because one has tarps.”
“And the other?”
“Generators.”
“I can’t accept—”
Richard held up a hand.
“They are loaned.”
“Company emergency equipment.”
“You return them after.”
Ethan stared.
Richard smiled.
“I was poor once too.”
“I remember how pride works.”
Ethan exhaled.
“Loaned.”
“Loaned.”
They covered the barn before more rain arrived.
Insurance adjusters came two days later.
The result was worse than Ethan expected.
The policy covered structural storm damage.
It did not cover the full agricultural loss.
Some hay was excluded.
Crop coverage had limits.
Equipment damage carried a deductible Ethan could barely absorb.
By the time Ethan calculated everything, the farm was short enough money that selling part of the property became a realistic option.
He did not tell Lily.
He told Victoria.
They stood inside the damaged barn after sunset.
Temporary lighting hung from an extension cord.
“I might sell.”
Victoria went still.
“The farm?”
“Part.”
“How much?”
“Maybe the creek acreage.”
“That’s the part Grace loved.”
Ethan looked at her sharply.
He had forgotten telling Victoria that.
“Yes.”
“How much do you need?”
“That isn’t the point.”
“How much?”
“Victoria.”
“I can write the check tonight.”
“No.”
She stared.
“Ethan.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I cannot take that from you.”
“You’d pay it back.”