I stood there for another moment, searching for something else to say while nothing came. The distance between us feltwider than the few feet of space that actually separated us, and I wondered when it had grown so large. Had it been gradual, or had I simply not noticed?
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said to her back.
She didn’t acknowledge me. The music kept playing, and her fingers kept tapping.
I left the living room and found Mrs. Pearson in the kitchen, wiping down counters that were already spotless.
“Call me if anything happens,” I said. “Anything at all.”
“Of course, Mr. Valdez.” She set down her cloth and met my eyes. “She’ll be fine, and we’ll take good care of her.”
“I know you will.”
“Perhaps,” she said carefully, “when you return, you might consider spending more time with her.”
The observation stung because it was accurate. “Noted.”
I collected my bag from the entryway and headed to the elevator. When the doors opened, I stepped inside and pressed the button for the ground floor. My reflection stared back at me from the polished metal walls, showing me exactly what I was: a man going through motions, following routines, existing.
The lobby was quiet when I arrived, my driver waiting by the entrance with keys in hand.
Then I saw her.
Sarah stood near the building’s side entrance with her phone pressed to her ear and her back to me, but I recognized the tension in her shoulders instantly. Her free hand was buried in her hair, gripping tight enough that her knuckles showed white as she spoke rapidly into the phone. I couldn’t make out words, but her tone carried clearly enough: distressed, maybe scared.
I should have kept walking. Should have gotten in the car and left for my meeting. Her personal problems weren’t my concern unless they affected Lily’s therapy. That’s what I told myself as I changed direction and moved toward her instead.
“I know that!” Her voice rose as I got closer. “I’m trying, you said it’s at the end of the month!”
She fell silent, listening to whoever was on the other end, her shoulders drawing up tighter. When she spoke again, her voice had gone quiet and defeated. “I understand. Yes, I’ll figure it out.”
The call ended, and she lowered the phone but didn’t move otherwise. She just stood there with her hand still tangled in her hair, staring at nothing.
“Ms. Tinsley.”
She spun around fast enough that she nearly dropped her phone, and her eyes went wide when she saw me before narrowing immediately. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to know something’s wrong.”
“Were you eavesdropping on my private conversation?” Her voice sharpened in a way I hadn’t heard before. “Do you make a habit of lurking around corners listening to people’s phone calls?”
“I wasn’t lurking, and you’re standing outside my building.”
“So that gives you the right to spy on me?”
“I’m not spying.” My patience, already thin, began to fray completely. “I’m asking if there’s a problem that might affect my daughter’s care.”
“Oh, of course.” She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Everything comes back to Lily, doesn’t it? God forbid I have my own life or my own problems that don’t revolve around your daughter.”
“If those problems interfere with your work, then yes, they concern me.”
“They don’t interfere, and I do my job. I show up on time, I work with Lily, I leave. What happens outside those sessions is none of your business.”
“You were thirty minutes late last week.” I stepped closer. “Whatever’s going on with you, fix it and don’t bring it into my home. Tell me if you need any?—”
“I’m not bringing anything into your home!” Her voice rose to match mine. “I work hard for your daughter, and I care about her progress. The fact that I also have a life that’s falling apart doesn’t change how much I give during those sessions.”
“Is that what that phone call was about? What happened?”
