Chapter 13 - The Dayton Property
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The drive to Dayton took just over an hour. Lily had scheduled a meeting to view a potential property for the second Daniel Mercer Home, and she had asked Allison to meet us there. The house was a sprawling, Victorian-style structure that had sat vacant for two years, its paint peeling and its front porch sagging under the weight of neglect.
Allison was already standing on the sidewalk when we arrived. She wore a neat professional blouse and held a clipboard against her chest. She looked healthier than I had ever seen her, her eyes clear and focused.
"It needs a lot of work," Allison said as a greeting, gesturing toward the overgrown lawn. "The foundation looks solid, but the roof is going to need a total replacement before winter."
"The inspector’s report said the same thing," Lily agreed, unlocking the front door with a key the realtor had provided. "But the bones are good. And it has six bedrooms upstairs."
We walked through the dusty, echoing hallways. The air was stale, but the massive windows let in brilliant streams of afternoon sunlight. I watched Allison and Lily move from room to room, measuring spaces and discussing plumbing upgrades. There was a natural, easy rhythm between them now, forged through months of hard, intentional boundaries.
"This could be the main counseling room," Allison suggested, standing in the center of the large parlor. "It's near the front door. The kids wouldn't have to walk through the entire house if they're just coming for daytime therapy sessions."
"That makes perfect sense," Lily said, making a note on her phone.
Allison looked around the empty room, her expression turning reflective.
"It's a beautiful thing you are doing here, Lily. Giving people a safe place to land."
May you like
"I had a lot of help finding my own," Lily replied, catching my eye from across the room.
We spent two more hours mapping out the future, standing in a broken house that was entirely ready to be healed.
