The text arrived at 6:35 on a Thursday and told me, rather than asked me, that my house was perfect for the reunion. Then my mother rang to say Danika’s boys would probably stay most of the summer, because I hardly used the place anyway. Cedar siding, five bedrooms, a dock, and the only quiet I had ever paid for outright. I said sure, and she called across the room that she had known I would be reasonable. Over four weeks a weekend grew into three, Uncle Wendell added a boat, four cousins appeared, and then my mother said there would be enough beds if people brought air mattresses, because we had plenty of room. We.

So I called Barrett and changed the locks, the remotes, the gate code, and the system, and saved a copy of the deed with one name on it.