Chapter 24: Seven Days, Mine

Bethany's POV

On Monday morning I came downstairs at seven with Chloe on my shoulder, and found a new refrigerator in Evan's kitchen.

It was tall and plain and silver, and it had not been there the night before.

A paper calendar was stuck to the door with a magnet shaped like a tiny loom.

I knew that kind of calendar.

Last autumn I had stood in front of one in a different kitchen.

It had Neil's square handwriting on it, a job for every day until opening day.

I took a step closer.

This was not Neil's handwriting.

It was narrow and slanted and tired, in blue ink, the writing of a man who wrote on charts at three in the morning.

Monday, it said. Nothing.

Tuesday. Nothing, in a different pen.

Wednesday. Sleep when she sleeps.

Thursday. June comes at ten. We leave the house.

Friday. Whatever Chloe wants.

Saturday. Whatever Bethany wants.

I read down the column twice.

Under Sunday there was only a time, and a line that stopped halfway across the box.

6 p.m. Dinner here. Everyone from the barn. And one question.

"You're up," Evan said from the doorway.

He had a mug in each hand, and his hair stood up on one side.

He wore the gray T-shirt that I had told him on Thursday was my favorite.

His phone, I noticed, was in the drawer under the toaster.

"There's a refrigerator," I said.

"The old one died."