Meanwhile, her kids planted a garden. It took several hours, but by the end of the day, there were rows of vegetables on one side, rows of flowers on the other. It was beautiful and it was barely even spring. A few weeks later, the first hint of lettuce started to grow, followed by carrots and bell peppers and zucchini. By the time summer rolled around, Jack had almost forgotten about the beans.

Raven had promised her they would grow. Jack thought of that now, as she fed his clothes to the fire. He’d promised, and he’d delivered. Somehow, in spite of the harsh earth, and the weeds all around, a little seedling had sprouted in mid-July. By the end of the summer, a vine had woven its way up the house. After that, planting beans became a yearly tradition, and when Jack’s mother brought home a man who liked visiting her brothers in the middle of the night, Jack had put one of her vines to good use.

She exhaled as the last of the clothes disappeared. Flynn and Diego were taking their time returning from the garden, and when they finally burst through the kitchen door, fresh lettuce in their hands, the fire was in full bloom. Jack hurried out of the living room. She could hear Conner and Dylan rustling around upstairs, awakened by the noises in the kitchen. Soon, they were clattering down the attic stairs, and Jack was cutting her sandwich in half, handing it over to them.

“Who’s that?” Conner asked through a mouthful of bread and cheese and turkey, staring at the boy on the other side of the room.

“That’s Diego. He’s staying the night.”

“Are we having a sleepover?” Dylan perked up, his half sandwich forgotten for the moment. “We haven’t had a sleepover in a hundred years!”

“No, we’re not…” Jack trailed off, gaze flicking toward the living room. She wouldn’t let Diego sleep in Flynn’s bedroom. She knew too well what could happen when two people were left alone in a perilous moment, after everything had come crashing down around them. Their future. Their happiness. Their hopes. But she didn’t want to quarantine Diego in the living room when his parents had just kicked him out. So before she could stop herself, she said, “Yes. We’re having a sleepover, like we did before you moved into the attic. Remember where the sleeping bags are?”