Two weeks later, Leonard invited Rosa to join him for coffee in the rooftop garden.
“I owe you more than I can say,” he told her.
“I was just doing what came naturally,” she replied, sipping from a delicate china cup.
“You’ve done what no one else could. What I couldn’t.”
She smiled, but there was a softness in her eyes.
“May I ask you something, Rosa? Why did you take this job?”
She looked out over the skyline. “I lost my own son six years ago. He was born with severe autism. Nonverbal. But he loved music.”
Leonard’s heart clenched.
“He died when he was ten,” Rosa said. “There were complications. After that… I couldn’t go back to caregiving. Not for a while. But when I saw Caleb, I felt… something pull me. Like a second chance to love again.”
Leonard reached across the table and placed a hand over hers.
“Would you consider staying with us permanently? Not just as staff, Rosa. As family.”
She blinked.
“I don’t mean to overstep,” he added quickly.
But Rosa shook her head, eyes glistening.
“You’re not. I’d be honored.”
