Five Minutes, Then Back Inside
I waited in the shade for five minutes, watching the curve for returning cars. I texted Brad, “She left; I’m going in now,” and attached a quick photo of the empty lane with the timestamp.
I pulled into the driveway, parked by the porch, and grabbed the blue folder from the passenger seat.
The house was quiet, the ladder gone, only a damp stripe on the siding where the gutter had leaked earlier.
I locked the car, pocketed the keys, and headed up the steps.