This time he did not treat his intention to do something as proof that it had happened.

He read the dates aloud.

The booking covered the immediate stay while they sorted out the apartment and longer-term alternatives.

Nothing about it solved the remaining eleven days or guaranteed Diane a permanent place.

It did give her somewhere agreed and available to sleep that night.

Claire felt her shoulders drop slightly.

She had been insisting that refusing a move did not mean abandoning Diane.

Now there was a practical plan that made the difference visible without requiring Claire to repeat it.