of lemonade in the other. Ethan looked at her smile, not asking for permission from a photograph, but recognizing how long he had been treating the past as though it might be injured by the future. He turned off the lamp and went to bed, uncertain but less ashamed of the uncertainty.
The next Friday review ended with Ethan sliding a single sheet of paper across the table. Claire read it and looked up at him. “Is this a compensation proposal?”
“Yes. Your responsibilities have grown well beyond what we first discussed, and the shop can finally support a salary that reflects it.”
She scanned the figure. “This is forty percent above my current rate.”
“I checked what operations managers at comparable Colorado shops are paid. We're still a small business, but I'm not going to wait until another company points out what you're worth.”
Claire set the paper down. The shop's monthly revenue had risen by roughly sixty-two percent since she started, and the signed fleet agreements created a much stronger base of committed work than Ethan had ever managed on his own. She knew the financial position well enough to know the raise was possible. What surprised her was his willingness to initiate the conversation without turning it into a request for personal gratitude. “What's the catch?” she asked.
“No catch.”
“Extra weekends? More responsibilities? A promise I won't look elsewhere?”
“None of those. The responsibilities you already carry justify it.”
She was quiet. “Can I think about it over the weekend?”
“Of course.”
“Why now?” she asked before gathering her papers. “You could have waited until I asked.”
Ethan thought of the first day, her cold hand, and the suitcase on the floor. “Because I see how much you carry,” he said. “At work, and outside it. I can't fix your father's recovery, and I wouldn't presume to try, but I can make sure you're being paid fairly for what you do here.”
Something crossed her face that he couldn't interpret. She held the paper carefully, as though a careless grip might crease more than the sheet. “I'll let you know Monday,” she said. He watched her return to the office and immediately wondered if he had revealed too much about how closely he'd been paying attention. By the time he reached the garage, he decided that an honest explanation was better than pretending her value was visible only in a wage survey.
On Monday, Claire accepted the raise. She also said she wanted to revisit her title when the time was right. Ethan told her they could discuss it immediately, but she shook her head. “Not yet. I want to understand the next stage of the business before I tell you what title should come with it.”
“You've earned the discussion.”
“Then let's make it a good one.”