For once, watching my dad ask Juliet a lot of adorable questions—What do you think her wings were made of? You say her neck was how long?—didn’t evoke such a bittersweet sting. I wasn’t looking forward to what I was about to tell them. But the knowledge that I wasn’t moving to Austin grounded me fully in the moment. I didn’t have to side-eye the door, one foot already out as I pretended that zipping into and out of their lives was easy for me.

Licking tomato sauce from my thumb, I reached forward and nudged my laptop open where it rested on the coffee table. I’d started working on this surprise a few days into my visit, after discovering the gold mine of family photos residing in Aunt Linda’s many bookshelves. At the time I considered it to be a going-away gift, to say thank you for making my trip home so special.

Now I understood what it was all along: A love letter to Philly. My own plea to stay.

“What’s the update on the park, hon?” Kathleen asked, setting down her wine glass. “And I want you to know I have fully activated my book club members and their impressive networks.”

I flashed her a grateful smile. “You’re a legend and always will be. We need the help. The good news is that the emails I’ve sent out to past clients and the SOS call I put out on social media is generating a lot of interest and attention. People have even donated more money, which is extraordinary. Everyone on Tenth Street is using their own connections too. We need a huge amount of funds to buy the lot from the city. Or a miracle.”

“Or a book club member,” Kathleen said wisely.

I laughed. “Yes, ma’am. On the one hand, it’s demoralizing to see how quickly the park’s been put at risk, especially since it’s not even finished yet. The best is definitely yet to come for Tenth Street. And on the other hand, it’s so inspiring to see the response from our community, wanting to help in any way they can. There have even been a few people nearby offering to collaborate to create parks using the abandoned lots on their block. I guess I’m both super anxious and panicking and really optimistic and hopeful, all at the same time.”

Eric grinned. “The two elementary school teachers in the room can certainly identify with that confusing mix of emotions.”

My sister laughed and kissed him on the cheek. “Something has me feeling extra, extra hopeful today.”