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Goodbye

“Gary?” Cecilia called tentatively into the barn door opening. It was dark inside, and she’d never stepped foot there. Glancing down, she decided staying outside was probably best, given her choice of cheap rubber flip-flops for footwear.

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Sophie

“Cecilia?” came a voice over her shoulder at church a few weeks after that surprisingly life-changing dinner with Mrs. Concord.

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Mrs. Concord

“Good ev’nin’, Pastor,” she heard Gary speak as he opened the front door. She couldn’t quite make out the response, but heard the shuffling of shoes and the not-so-gentle bang of the front screen door.

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China

“Cecilia?” Ephraim’s voice floated through the back door and into the kitchen like a warm summer breeze. She brushed the loose bits of flour and dough off her fingers and poked her head around the corner.

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Father

“Come outside wi’ me for a minute,” Gary requested – demanded? – as she finished unloading the grocery sacks. Cecilia squinted at the unusual request, but ultimately nodded. She tucked the milk where it belonged on the top shelf of the fridge, then followed him out the Dutch back door.

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Hiding

Sundays were hard. Every week, Cecilia pushed herself to put on her nicest jeans and newest t-shirt, but she still felt lacking. She really should go buy a new pair of pants, but she still didn’t feel financially stable. The income from Gary was helping – slowly. Not quite quickly enough for dress pants, though. How could there not be a resale shop in this town?

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Caleb

Ephraim dried the dishes again, and this time, he did more talking.

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Legacy

Cecilia showed up at Gary’s farmhouse at 4:30 Friday evening, panicking about the short timeline. It wasn’t that she couldn’t make anything in an hour and a half, but rather that she had wanted to make something more special than she now could.

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Dinner

She plated the pork chops just as the old man entered the kitchen, Ephraim on his heels. What kind of name was Ephraim, anyways?

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Cooking

Thursday was better. Cecilia had four clients, and one of them bought a whole bag of products, giving Cecilia a nice little boost in her commission. She changed her clothes promptly at 3, then left the spa and headed straight for the grocery store.

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