“She’s seventy miles from your corporate office.”

“Then ask her how she knew I’m landing at six forty-five next Tuesday.”

Daniel bit into the banana and turned his back on the island.

“We’re not doing this today.

I’ve got a three-hour consulting call at nine.”

“You haven’t had one consulting client since August,” I said.

He went still for a second, then tossed the banana peel into the trash can under the sink.

“I’m building a new client pipeline, and I don’t need you questioning my work ethic in front of my mother.”