On Monday night, the high school gym was packed.

Every seat in the bleachers. People standing along the walls, at the back, in the doorways. Old men who'd worked at the Works for forty years. Young parents with babies. Kids in Hornets jackets.

Brett and Tiffany sat in the front row. Dale was next to them.

Kristen stood at the back with Noah on her hip.

The mayor, Barb Jensen, stood at a podium under the basketball hoop.

“Thank you all for coming,” she said. “I know a lot of you are worried. I know there are a lot of rumors. So I'm going to let the new owner speak for himself.”

She looked at her notes.

“The Haddon Furniture Works has been bought by a furniture company called Harlan & Co.”

There was a murmur in the crowd.

In the front row, Brett frowned.

“Harlan?” I heard him say. “Like…”

He turned around in his seat and looked at the side door.

I was walking through it.

Jeans. Work boots. Flannel shirt. The same clothes I'd worn to the Rusty Nail.

And beside me, in his old canvas apron, walking slowly with his chin up, was my dad.