the wrong coffee.”
“I bought the coffee you asked for.”
“I changed my mind.”
Luis gave a disbelieving shake of his head.
“He has always been like this.”
“You left for forty years,” Dad replied promptly. “You don’t qualify as an expert.”
“Forty years gave me perspective.”
“Forty years gave you bad coffee.”
They started squabbling again. Mom leaned close to me.
“Don’t interfere.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“This is how they show affection.”
“I’m beginning to understand.”
Derek set a cup before me.
“How long are you staying?”
“Until Monday.”
“Good. I need you to review a hotel contract.”
“You could have emailed it.”
“I could have.”
He took the chair next to mine.
“But then you wouldn’t be here.”
His words reached me quietly. Once I might have deflected them with a joke; now I simply nodded.
“I’m here.”
Through the window I saw the garden stone, no
