For a moment, the only sound was the fan ticking in the corner and the dry whisper of lavender moving outside the open shed door.
Garrett always wrote like he was already obeyed.
He did not ask.
He announced.
He had been doing that since they were kids, since every family dinner somehow became a ceremony for whatever Garrett had accomplished that week and every one of Sienna’s wins got treated like background noise.
When Garrett brought home an A-minus, Douglas Fry told everybody at the table his son was built for leadership.
When Sienna brought home a statewide science award, her father glanced at the certificate and asked whether it came with scholarship money.
Her mother, Vivien, was quieter but sharper.
