Austin didn't remember falling asleep in his tiny bed, but he must have, because at some point the darkness slipped away and he awoke to bright, blinding sunshine.
*
"I think that I'm going to run a quick errand," James announced to the family at breakfast, "Who wants to come along?"
"I'll go, Daddy!" Molly said. Christine, Austin, and Lexi stared down at their phones.
"OK, that's one," James said, trying to keep his sunny disposition, "That's a start."
He'd woken up in the finished basement on the fold-out couch. Christine hadn't sent him there, but he'd felt weird about climbing into bed with her, so he'd made the choice for her. He noticed his wife didn't complain one bit about his decision. Sleeping down there wasn't so uncomfortable overall. The bed was thin, and the room smelled
