I put the receipt down on the glass table and laughed once, which caught me more off guard than the draft had.

My phone buzzed.

It was Sarah, my assistant, with a photo and six words.

The espresso machine had broken down again, she’d ordered the identical model, and she wanted me to know she wasn’t asking for permission.

I wrote back telling her to buy two.

For an hour I lined up the transfers with things I could say out loud.

The July we put in a new water heater for them.