One Year Later
Rachel kept her word. At first her emails were short — about her bookstore job, her garden, her volunteer work. Eventually we spoke on the phone, then met again for coffee — no crowds, no drama, just two people figuring out how to be in each other’s lives.
Adrian’s trust paid for school; I used part of it to finally replace Dad’s old truck, and set up a scholarship at my high school for students raised by single parents or guardians — the Ethan Carter “Choose to Stay” Scholarship. Dad complained the name was too dramatic, then framed the announcement and hung it above his desk.
