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them were expected at the Duncan farmhouse, just down the hill from them, for a jam-packed afternoon of food, friends, and family. And, she supposed, one major announcement that was forever going to change the landscape of their town and their own lives. She thought of Janey Sullivan and felt a regretful stab at her heart. Could she really go through with this?
    She didn’t have time to contemplate an answer as a refreshed-looking Bradley Knight made his entrance into the kitchen, dressed in khaki pants and a casual sweater. His thick blond hair was neatly combed, but then again, it always was. He planted a warm kiss on his wife’s lips before settling his gaze on his resting son.
    â€œShould we wait till he wakes?”
    â€œIf we’re late, Brian will kill us. He’s so nervous about hosting his first big dinner.”
    â€œI think you’re the one who’s nervous.”
    â€œBradley, don’t. I don’t need any reminders . . .”
    He pulled her into his embrace, held her slim frame tight against his. “I love you.”
    â€œBradley Knight, you are not going to distract me now.”
    â€œI think I’m the only husband who says those three little words and gets admonished.”
    â€œThat’s because you’re using them to manipulate the situation.”
    But she wasn’t mad at him, the smile on her pretty face too broad. He patted her behind teasingly, kissed her again. Bradley was certainly frisky this morning, she thought. But of course all the pressure had been lifted from him, at least for the present. The stress of the business world would invade his life soon enough and he’d be ever the distracted lawyer again.
    â€œOkay, I’ll get Jake’s stuff into the car.”
    â€œI’ll grab the dishes,” she said.
    â€œSee what a team we make. Us against the world.”
    â€œIndeed,” Cynthia said with a hint of derision.
    So the Knights packed up, Cynthia feeling like they were taking half the house with them for just a short trek to Brian’s. She couldn’t imagine how she would feel seeing filled boxes and empty rooms. With Jake in her arms, she grabbed hold of the front door, but not before she stole a wistful look at the quiet living room and its fireplace that stood cold and the television with no sound or image. Like a frozen silence had already fallen on their old home.
    Jake settled in his car seat, Cynthia in hers, Bradley pulled out of the driveway and turned right onto Crestview Road, journeying only a half mile to their destination. Cynthia watched as barren fields passed her by; winter was coming, not that you’d know it on such an unseasonably warm holiday, but the ground knew better and was already well into its natural hibernation. The land was littered with a cornucopia of fallen leaves, leaving the countryside aglow in orange and yellow, all set against the skeletal remains of branches. She couldn’t get the idea of change out of her mind. The slowly turning, latticed sails of the windmill rearing up over the cresting hill added to the effect. Everything was changing; time couldn’t be slowed.
    Before long Jake would be talking, he’d be walking so fast she’d barely catch up to him, to time also, one day out the door and to his own life. How she wished she could remove the battery from the kitchen clock and keep them locked in the here and now.
    â€œUh, Cyn, we’re here.”
    â€œOh, uh, I guess I was thinking.”
    â€œCare to share?”
    â€œI was wondering where Jake would go to college.”
    â€œHey, Cyn?”
    â€œYes?”
    â€œJake’s not even two. I think we can leave that discussion to another day.”
    Cynthia was about to ask her husband of twelve years if he ever gave the future a thought when she realized that was all he’d been doing for the past few months. If she voiced her concerns, he’d think she was losing it. Thankfully their