“I’ll sign the store over right now.”

Carl nodded and started typing the collateral attachment.

The laser printer hummed in the corner of the office and pushed out three pages of dense legal text.

Carl slid the warm pages across the desk.

I signed my name at the bottom of each one.

At three o’clock, our house was completely silent.

Eleanor was sitting at the dining room table, staring at a cup of cold tea.

I sat down across from her and laid a thick brown envelope on the lace tablecloth.