At the duplex, I watched Claire arrange the receipts in final date order.

The eighteen thousand dollars still hurt.

I could admire the persistence that brought the records together without approving how she financed it.

We reviewed the additional $4,200 estimate Daniel had provided for the next stage.

It was a proposed commitment, not another amount already spent or quietly added to the original total.

“No automatic approval,” I said.

“I know.”

“We read it.