“Brian, I’m not asking you to let me pour concrete.

I’m asking for a chair and ten minutes in my own garden.” I brought the chair.

She sat beside the fence and broke open a dried seed head, letting the seeds spill into a bowl in her lap.

“I was scared of Kyle,” she said without looking up.

“Not at first.

At first I thought he was being arrogant and protecting his employer.

Then I realized the dates were changing after I asked questions.