Chloe in Willowmere

She found the community garden on her first walk — wooden gate, hand-lettered sign, rows of seedlings in the soft morning light. An elderly man in a navy cardigan was kneeling by the beds, working with quiet concentration. He didn't look up. "Are you lost?" he asked. She thought about it. "I don't think so," she said. He nodded once, still not looking up. "Good." She stood there a little longer than necessary, watching him work.