I could not turn that into good parenting just because his paperwork was in order.

Ruth stopped writing.

Marcus looked down at the signed transfer agreement, but he did not step in.

Walter rested his pencil beside the ledger and said he was not asking me to call it good parenting.

He was asking whether I could keep the place open.

I told him to judge the budget, not the man.

For several seconds Walter checked the figures again.

I could hear the fluorescent light buzzing above the filing cabinets.