I walked straight to the glass pie case by the register, where the night air was cool.

I leaned my forehead against the cold chrome frame and closed my eyes.

When Patty tapped my elbow, forty seconds had gone by, and my fingers were still clamped around a silver pie server.

“You worked forty hours at the hospital billing desk this week,” Patty said, setting a fresh mug of dark coffee on the counter.

“What are you two running from?”

“We need thirty thousand dollars,” I said, pressing my thumb hard against my index finger as I added up our savings.