The trip to the Perkins’ house was silent, the quiet making the drive seem twice as long. Each second made my skin itch a little bit more. I hated the way things were, it felt wrong and unnatural, but I had no way to fix it. I think that’s why I loved bringing these old pieces back to life. There was so much in this world we had no control over, things, people, and relationships that were shattered beyond repair. But these forgotten tables, dressers, chairs…those I could fix, those I could give a second chance.

Ford pulled the truck to a stop in front of the Perkins’ house. “Is that it?” He inclined his head to the credenza with a Sold sign on it.

“Yup.” I unbuckled my seat belt and reached for the door handle.

His brows pulled together. “It, uh, looks a little worse for wear. What are you going to do with it?”

I felt too vulnerable telling Ford about the thing I loved to do most in this world. It was too personal, too intimate. Sharing my favorite movies and holiday traditions was fine, but I needed limits, boundaries. They would keep me safe when Ford bounced back to LA. “I’m just grabbing it for a friend.”

Ford eyed me as if he didn’t believe a word I’d said but shrugged. “All right, then. Let’s get it loaded up.”

Between the two of us, lifting it into the bed of the truck wasn’t too bad. Frank had some rope in the cab that we used to secure the credenza, and then we were off. Five minutes later, we were pulling into the parking lot at The Catch.

I unbuckled my seat belt. “Let me grab a dolly from the shop, and I’ll be right back.” I jogged towards the large shed that sat on the edge of the parking lot. Just a handful of steps away from Ford, and I could breathe easier. It was as though the weights that had been sitting on my lungs had finally lifted.

I took a deep breath as I entered the shop, the scents of wood and metal filling my lungs. I let their comfort wash over me and tried desperately to fuse it to myself, to hold it close so that it could carry me through the next ten minutes. I grabbed the dolly from the corner and opened the large double doors. When I got back to the truck, Ford had already untied the credenza. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Slowly and carefully, we lifted the piece out of the truck and placed it on the dolly. Guiding it towards the shed wasn’t too hard, we just had to avoid the potholes in the parking lot. Placing it in the center of the shop had me breathing a sigh of relief. We were done.

Ford looked around the space. “This place hasn’t changed at all.”