I sent back one word, and she replied with a thumbs-up.

Across the wash, the neighbor’s porch light came on, then the kitchen light behind it, and a figure crossed the window and disappeared.

The iced tea left a wet ring on the glass table.

I wiped it away with my thumb, it came right back, and I let it stay.

The phone buzzed with Trent’s name at the top and a voicemail icon next to it.

I hadn’t blocked his number.