They finished unloading in the same unhurried rhythm they had used all day. Salt and oil went into the pantry. Linen was stacked in the clinic cupboard. Nails found their place on the tool shelf.
The hard cheese settled into the cool box. Clara closed the ledger with a soft, satisfied sound and set the pencil aside.
Eli wiped the last cart traces from the yard stones and set the wheel chock firm against the spokes. Lara handed Atlas a clean cloth for the dust on his hands, then washed her own at the basin while the water ran clear.
The house smelled of the new vinegar and the faint metallic edge of the nails. Outside, the light had begun its slow slide toward evening. Atlas was still drying his hands when a polite knock sounded at the open front gate.
They all looked up.
