The drive home felt different this time. The road was dry, sunlight cutting through the trees. In the passenger seat, the mother dog dozed with her pup nestled beneath her chin.
Thomas glanced over, smiling. “You picked quite the day for an adventure,” he said. “Let’s call you Grace. And you…” He looked at the tiny ball of fur. “Lucky.”
The pup sneezed softly, earning a tired huff from Grace. Thomas laughed for the first time in days, the sound light and unguarded.
Behind them, the mountains faded into blue haze, but the memory of that storm felt less heavy now—almost like a beginning instead of an end.
