I finished tying the garbage bag and turned toward them. Evelyn stood there in her usual pressed blouse, looking as though she had somewhere important to be. My dad, Richard, stood behind her with his arms crossed, posture straight, still carrying himself like the colonel title had never retired with him.
Neither was smiling.
“You’re back earlier than we expected,” Evelyn said.
I blinked slowly. “I told you my return date.”
She waved that away like deployment schedules and time zones were optional suggestions. “Well, things changed.”
Of course they had. I lifted one of the garbage bags slightly. “Yeah, I can see that.”
Richard stepped forward, taking up space. “We needed to make some adjustments while you were gone.”
Adjustments. That word carried a lot of weight in this house. I looked past them into the living room. The furniture had been rearranged. New throw pillows. A framed photo
I didn’t recognize. None of it was mine.
“Where’s Chloe?” I asked.
Evelyn finally smiled. “Oh, she’s here upstairs resting.”
Resting. That told me enough.
“And Vance?” I asked.
“Moved in.”
My duffel still sat on the porch behind me like it hadn’t gotten the message. “And my room?”
Evelyn tilted her head like she was explaining something obvious. “Well, honey, Chloe needed the master suite. She’s been under a lot of stress.”
I nodded once. “So, where am I sleeping?”
Richard answered. “The basement is available. Or you can head back to the barracks on base. Might be easier with your schedule anyway.”
An unfinished basement with a cold concrete floor, or return to base like deployment had never ended. Those were my options.
“We just thought it made more sense,” Evelyn said smoothly. “You’re single. You’re gone half the time. You don’t need all this space.”
There it
was. No guilt or hesitation, only certainty.
“Be a good sister for once,” Evelyn added.
And there was the role I had played my whole life: the reliable one, the one who adjusted, the one who made everything work. They expected an argument. I gave them none.
