Then he said, “You should’ve seen the look on her face.”

I zipped the case to the corner, pulled it back a hand’s width, and zipped it again.

I sat on the edge of the bed and tapped my thumbnail twice on the phone in my palm, then a third time.

“Once this is done we can talk about the rest of it,” he said through the wall.

The fan shut off.

I took the suitcase down the back stairs so I wouldn’t have to walk past the living room and put it in the trunk of the rental.