Less than it used to

(Lena) I heard voices before I reached the front door. My mother's voice specifically. That particular tone she used when she was being warm to someone she wanted something from. I stood outside for a second with my key in my hand and let the day I'd just had settle properly before I went inside. Patricia's project finished. The walk through clean. Everything exactly where it needed to be. I unlocked the door and walked in. They were in the kitchen. My mother was sitting at the table with a coffee cup in front of her and Brad across from her like this was still the house it used to be before everything fell apart. She looked up when she heard me come in and smiled in the way she did when she was presenting a version of herself she'd already decided on. "There she is," she said. Bra