me.
“We were going to talk to you.”
“When?”
“After summer.”
Of course.
After the profitable weeks.
After strangers slept in my beds.
After her family enjoyed July.
After golf friends used Daniel’s dock.
After I arrived obediently for my September slot.
“What happened after summer?”
“We would have shown you the numbers.”
“What numbers?”
“The cottage is worth much more than you realize.”
“I know exactly what it is worth.”
“You’re seventy-one.”
The room went quiet.
Even Ashley seemed to hear how awful that sounded.
But she kept going.
