6
Damien.
Vivian called me at eight in the morning. Her tone was bright and brisk. “Do you mind taking Lila to the lake today? The contractor needs you to sign off on the stair rail and the tile. I can’t get out of the office.”
I looked at my calendar. Meetings could move. “I’ll go.”
“Take the SUV,” she said. “The road is still rough near the old turn.”
There was a pause. I knew the request under the request. “Keep her out of trouble,” she added, softer now.
“I will.”
Lila came downstairs with a tote bag, sunglasses on her head, and a sweatshirt that belonged to no season in particular. She looked at me, then at the keys in my hand, then at my face again like she was reading a headline.
“We’re going to the lake,” I said.
“I love nature,” she said. “It’s like outside, but wet.”
“B
