Friday dinner became another dinner the next week, then another. They did not rush. Celeste met Tessa gradually, first at Easton during a robotics demonstration, later over takeout when Desmond's shift ran late. Tessa did not trust Celeste merely because her father did, and Celeste respected that. Some weeks, Tessa asked whether Celeste would attend a school event.
Other weeks, she wanted dinner with Desmond alone. Celeste never treated either answer as a test. Desmond noticed. He also changed in quieter ways. When his training schedule conflicted with Tessa's robotics club, he let Celeste drive her one evening instead of dropping the class.
When Victor offered extra study time with a senior foreman, Desmond accepted instead of insisting he could prepare alone. Needing help stopped feeling like evidence of failure. As Desmond's finances stabilized, Tessa finally began the orthodontic treatment he had been saving for since before he met Celeste. Celeste never offered to pay for it. She understood that the restraint itself was a form of respect.
16 months after the night of the envelope, Desmond completed the supervisory program and passed his assessment. Victor called him into the office on a Monday morning and slid a new badge across the desk. It read foreman. Desmond stared at it longer than he expected. Victor asked whether he was going to say something.
Desmond said he was trying to think of something that would not make Victor emotional. Victor told him to get out. The promotion brought better pay and a steadier schedule. A few months later, Desmond made the final payment on Tessa's orthodontic treatment himself. Celeste knew the date and said nothing about the money.
That meant more than an offer ever could have. Celeste had changed, too. She remained wealthy, demanding, and very good at her job. She still ran meetings quickly, and expected people to know their numbers, but her phone stayed face down at dinner. Lawrence stopped arranging introductions.
Graham Vance remained part of the Foundation world and eventually became nothing more threatening than a professional acquaintance. No one had to become a villain for Celeste to make a different choice. On the night of Tessa's next major robotics competition, Desmond arrived early. That mattered to him. Celeste came too.
Tessa's team finished second, which Tessa described afterward as first place with judging problems. The three of them returned to Desmond's apartment carrying takeout containers and too many opinions about the scoring. Tessa blamed a hesitant robotic arm. Desmond blamed a turn that was too tight. Celeste sided with Tessa, which Desmond called an act of betrayal in his own home.
Tessa grinned and declared that Celeste understood engineering. Later, Tessa went to bed, leaving her backpack under the kitchen chair, exactly where Desmond had told her not to leave it. Celeste stood at the sink, rinsing two coffee mugs. The apartment was quiet. Desmond looked toward the shelf beside the living room where Tessa's old competition robot sat with one wheel slightly crooked from years of adjustments.
Then he reached into his pocket. Celeste. She turned. Desmond held a small ring box. For once, Celeste Rowan had nothing prepared to say.