Chapter 5

I can meet at 11:30, he writes back. I’ll have my daughter with me, so we’ll have to keep it brief. Write out any questions you have ahead of time so we can review them. I can’t stay longer than an hour.

Then he sets the phone aside and cleans up the toothpaste off the counter. He strips out of the clothes he slept in and tucks them into the hamper, adding Evie’s discarded tights and dress in with the rest of his laundry. Leaning into the tub, he turns on the faucet and the showerhead flares to life like a serpent spitting down on him—he forgot to turn off the shower before turning off the water when Evie was in the tub. The stopper is still in the drain, too.

Quickly he steps into the tub and pulls the shower curtain closed behind him. With his toe, he pulls out the stopper. The water around his ankles starts to swirl down the drain. He raises his face into the hot spray and sighs, content, as the headache and the hassle of the morning rinse away.