“Mark missed another family gathering last Sunday, Claire.”

“His workload doubled after the quarterly restructuring,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

“He missed your cousin’s baby shower, too,” she said, looking straight into my eyes.

“A man who works eighty hours a week usually leaves a paper trail of his time.”

“He’s in Chicago until Saturday,” I said.

“Did he leave you his flight itinerary?” Evelyn asked.

I turned back to the orchids and picked a dead yellow leaf off the base of a stem.

“He was in a hurry this morning.”