Daddy adjusted to his new environment fairly easily. I knew that was a gift itself. I wondered if he would ever remember he had a daughter named Bailey or if I would just have to be content knowing he had his wife back. By the following Friday, everything was done. All that was left in the house was the big sofa and the bed I slept in.

Griffin and I were going to change and go to VERT to open up and have dinner before I left tomorrow. I was excited to return to my own identity. It was midafternoon, and Griffin and I were in the kitchen packing up the final cookware when there was a knock on the door.

When I opened the front door, a young couple with two small children stood before me. When they saw me, they turned to one another, and the man said to the woman, “I told you, honey, this is not a good idea. Excuse us. We have not contacted the realtor or anything.” The man spoke almost apologetically.

“Do you want to see my dad’s house?” I called to Griffin, “Can you take the children out to the backyard so they can run around?”

The woman gushed, “You must be Bailey. The daughter. We love the outside of the house.” She stepped in and looked toward the back, “Is that your husband?”

“Oh no. That is my brother Henry’s business partner, Griffin. We’re busy cleaning up. Why don’t you just take a look around and let me know if you have any questions?”

“He’s one of the famous Color-Wheel Boys,” she said to her husband, but her eyes were roaming appreciatively over Daddy’s house. Henry and Griffin had grown a little weary of the term but, thankfully, never of their restaurants.

After a while, the couple completed their tour. I could tell they were in love with Daddy’s house. I understood their feelings perfectly. “We would like to buy the house. We’ll even pay your asking price. But here’s the thing—” the man began, but his wife interrupted.

“What my husband is trying to say is, would it be possible to close a week from this Friday?” The woman explained, “We’re renting a house, but we must be out next week. I would just hate for the children to have to bounce around like that.”

It seemed like a reasonable request, and they were offering the full asking price. It just meant, for me, this could be the very last night I spent in this house. Ever.

I thought this family would love our house. They reminded me of another small family who had moved in so long ago. “Let me call my brother, and let’s see what we can do,” I said. I wasn’t a wheeler-dealer but simply someone selling something precious to her. I wanted it in the right hands.