The woman nodded toward the shop.
“I hope the dive was good.”
“It was.”
She left without asking anything else.
The apology stayed with me longer than the congratulations had.
At five-thirty, I counted the register, checked the morning bookings, and opened the drawer.
No messages.
I resented Annie for respecting a boundary I had created.
That seemed unfair, so I resented myself for several minutes too.
Hank locked the equipment cage.
“Rosa sent pie.”
“Is that dinner?”
“It can become dinner.”
We crossed the road.
The café was nearly empty, but Rosa had saved the back table. She placed grilled fish in front of me before I sat down.
“I was promised pie.”
“Food first.”
“Hank has pie.”
“Hank is older.”
“That is not nutritional science.”
“It is inheritance law.”
I sat.
The small television above the shelves was showing an entertainment panel beneath the banner:
SAVANNAH BROOKS SHARES HER TRUTH
Rosa switched it off.
“Thank you.”
“I was checking the weather.”
“There were four celebrity journalists.”
“They predict storms.”
I ate several bites before she returned to wipe the table beside mine.
