“You're being careful,” Linda said quietly.
“Trying to.”
“Good. Don't confuse being careful with keeping her at arm's length forever.”
Ethan rinsed a plate. “I think she knows where I stand.”
“Does she?”
He thought of the sign, the honest conversation, and the business proposal that followed. “Yes,” he said. “And I know where she stands. That's new for me.”
Linda looked toward the dining room, where Mason was speaking with the enthusiasm of someone who believed he had a very strong argument. “He seems happy,” she said.
“He is.”
“So are you.”
Ethan didn't deny it. He was beginning to see that joy did not need to be defended against every possible future loss. It could be acknowledged, enjoyed, and treated carefully. He had loved Sarah, and he could still miss her. He was learning to love the life in front of him without asking the past to disappear.
The first months of Walker Morgan's partnership brought problems that did not care about their personal happiness. A supplier raised prices unexpectedly, a major piece of equipment needed replacement, and the shop's growing workload put pressure on its technicians. Claire insisted that growth without capacity was just a slower way to disappoint customers. Ethan agreed to hire additional mechanical help only after reviewing training requirements, payroll costs, and the effect on quality control.
Their first candidate had impressive credentials but poor references; they declined. The next brought less experience and an obvious willingness to learn. Ethan found time to train him properly because Claire's systems had finally freed some of his attention from administrative emergencies.
The Pratt fleet agreement remained important, but Claire made sure it did not become the shop's only measure of success. Regular customers still received scheduled updates; small repair jobs still had room in the calendar; old clients could still speak to Ethan when a repair required his judgment. Sandra's courier business expanded gradually, and its recurring annual service commitment made the cash forecasts steadier. The two partners reviewed the effect of each major contract on the shop's workload rather than treating a signed amount as automatic income. The business was becoming larger, but they refused to confuse size with health.
Henry continued his rehabilitation and finally walked the length of the facility's main corridor without stopping to argue about the exercise halfway through. Claire watched from a few paces behind him, ready to help if he needed it but determined not to reach for him unnecessarily. When he finished, he turned with a triumphant expression he tried to disguise as irritation. “Everybody makes such a production of walking,” he grumbled.
“Then you'll have no objection to doing another lap tomorrow,” Claire replied.
He sighed dramatically. “You take after your mother.”
Later, when she told him about the partnership documents, Henry asked to see the figures. He read the pages slowly, putting on his glasses to examine the terms. “Thirty-five percent,” he said. “That's a serious piece of a serious business.”