He was at my door before I had even shut off the engine.

“Where’ve you been?” he asked, rapping on the window with his knuckles.

I climbed out into the cold air and clicked the key fob to lock the doors.

“I had some business downtown,” I said.

“I sat at the pump on Lake Street for twenty minutes because my card got declined,” Daniel said, his voice climbing as he blocked my way.

“Then my mother went to the store for tea and milk, and her boutique card got turned down twice at the register.”