Ethan walked in behind him, sleeves already rolled up.
"We'll do it together," he said. "All three of us. You don't have to open that door alone."
"If I don't start there, I'll never start at all."
I took the coffee from Adam and tried to smile.
"You boys grew up too fast. When did you get taller than me?"
"Around the same time you stopped eating real food," Ethan teased. "Frozen dinners don't count, Dad."
The doorbell cut through the quiet, sharp and unwelcome. I already knew who it was before I opened it.
Diane stood on the porch, holding a casserole dish like she always did, her smile too soft, her eyes too watchful.
"I came to help," she said. "I couldn't let you pack up Laura's things without me."
"I came to help."
"You didn't have to drive all this way, Diane."
"Of course I did. She was my sister. These are her things too."
Adam glanced at me from the hallway, his jaw tight. He never warmed to her, not even as a child.
"Aunt Diane," he said flatly. "Didn't expect you."
"Sweetheart, I've been part of this family for twenty years. Where else would I be?"
I stepped aside and let her in, because I always did. Because saying no to Diane was a battle I lost decades ago.
"I've been part of this family for 20 years."
"I'll start in the basement," Adam announced, grabbing a flashlight. "Less ghosts down there."
"Adam," I warned softly.
"Sorry, Dad. I just meant... you know what I meant."
