1. Teddy #3
"We drive wherever we're needed," Dahlia replied, a note of compassion entering her voice as she looked around the echoing loft. "We aren't going to let you sit here alone trying to carry a heavy burden by yourself. Now, show us where the heavy crates are."
"I’m almost done with the woodworking tools," Teddy murmured, wiping a stray tear from her cheek before her sisters could notice. "But the blueprints and the historic moldings still need to be secured. I didn't want to ruin them."
"We will handle the blueprints," Prue promised, reaching into her canvas tote for a thick black marker. "One can wrap the delicate items, and another can manage the loading logistics. We have a clear system."
"I’ve already drafted a loading schedule," Dahlia noted, pulling a folded sheet of paper from her pocket with an encouraging smile. "We’ll pack the heavy crates near the cab of the truck, leaving the lighter items for the back. We can have this entire loft cleared in three hours."
Teddy let out a soft laugh, the remaining tension in her shoulders finally dissolving.
The sight of Dahlia organizing her packing schedule with corporate precision felt incredibly comforting, a familiar anchor in the midst of her ruined life.
Dahlia may have been living in Harvest Hollow for a while now, but there were some things that never changed.
Teddy took a slow sip of her sweet coffee, the heat spreading through her limbs and chasing away the deep chill of her isolation.
"The kitchen boxes are already packed. They’re near the sink. "
"I’m on it," Junie said, heading toward the kitchen island with her roll of packing tape. "I brought some apple pastries from the farm stand. We can eat while we work."
For the next several hours, the echoing loft was filled with the thrumming activity of sisterhood.
The scraping sound of packing tape and the tearing of bubble wrap replaced the heavy silence of the morning.
Dahlia managed the loading, coordinating with Prue to carry the taped boxes down the freight elevator to the parked truck.
Junie worked beside Teddy at the wooden counter, carefully wrapping each vintage plane and brass square in thick layers of clean paper.
They didn't press Teddy for details about the divorce, nor did they offer hollow platitudes about her future.
Instead, they simply worked beside her, their physical presence providing an unyielding shield against her grief.
"We’re managing the harvest preparations," Junie noted, keeping her focus on wrapping a wooden molding plane.
"Do you remember the temporary manager we hired last year? They were hired again to oversee the daily registers, so the opening weekend is fully covered. I’ve been learning to share the load, just as was suggested. "
"And the farm's finances are completely stable," Dahlia added, carrying a heavy crate of books toward the door. "We have the budget to hire extra hands if we need them. You don't have to worry about the operations."
Teddy nodded, feeling a deep sense of gratitude that seemed to fill the empty corners of her heart.
She had spent decades believing that her usefulness was her only value, that she had to remain strong and undemanding to deserve a place in this family.
But watching her sisters sweep through her home to carry her heavy boxes, she realized that their love wasn't a debt she had to repay through physical labor.
It was a gift given freely, a solid foundation that didn't demand an invoice.
By late afternoon, the spacious loft was completely empty, the bare brick walls and clean pine floorboards holding only the faint echo of their laughter.
The rain had cleared, leaving a pale line of gold on the western horizon as the sun began to dip behind the city skyline.
Teddy stood near the empty window, her hand resting on the cool frame as she looked out at the still harbor.
She held her vintage leather toolbox in one hand, her knuckles white against the dark leather.
"The truck is loaded," Dahlia announced, standing at the empty threshold with her keys in her hand. "We should head out before the highway traffic gets heavy."
"We’re ready," Prue agreed, offering an encouraging nod as she leaned her shoulder against the doorframe. "The drive will be quiet tonight."
Teddy took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over the empty space that had been her sanctuary for five years.
The loft had been her refuge, a place where she had hidden her failed marriage and her silent grief from the world.
But she was no longer hiding. She was heading back to the valley, not as a defeated exile, but as a woman choosing to move on.
"Let’s go home," Teddy whispered, her voice carrying a quiet certainty that felt as solid as the oak furniture she loved to work on.
Junie smiled, reaching out to wrap her arm comfortably around Teddy's shoulder as they moved toward the door. "We’re ready."