The first delivery week began with rain and ended with a broken pipe.
For two days, the greenhouse smelled of wet earth and diesel. We moved the tender plants away from the draft and kept the heat running by hand. I called every client whose order might be delayed, apologized, and offered replacements.
Most of them agreed to wait.
One canceled.
Caleb came in after closing with a toolbox. He fixed the pipe without asking me to thank him. I held the flashlight while he tightened the joint, and for an hour, we worked together the way we used to.
"Your mother would've kept that fitting in a jar," he said.
"She kept everything in jars."
"Even the jars."
I smiled before I could stop myself.
He looked at me. "I miss this."
"So do I."
We stood on opposite sides of the pipe, the narrow s
