“I was thinking a soft sage for the north wall,” Monica said, dipping her spoon into her butternut squash soup. “It keeps the room bright, even on these grey Seattle afternoons.”
I kept my hands flat on my lap under the table, my gold wedding band cold against my skin. “Sage sounds peaceful.”
“It is,” she said, her voice trailing off into that soft lilt I had known since our dorm days at Washington State. “But the crib is the real hurdle. Everything good is backordered until December.”
I looked at her face, searching for some flicker of guilt, some shadow of the woman who had whispered to my husband on a lingering phone connection. Her eyes were completely clear, untroubled by the soup or the silence between us.
“Richard mentioned you found a shop in Bellevue,” I said, keeping my voice level.
She paused, her spoon hovering an inch above her bowl. “Did he? I must have told him when he helped me move those storage boxes last weekend.”
The recording line on my phone screen, hidden beneath the table, continued its silent count.
“He is always happy to help,” I said.
“He is a good man, Laura,” she said, looking down at her soup. “You are lucky to have someone so dependable.”
I did not answer, but the silence did not seem to trouble her.
By half past two, the rain had stopped, leaving the asphalt on Westlake Avenue slick and reflective. We walked toward the parking lot, our coats buttoned against the October wind that swept off the water.
Monica stopped in front of a boutique window displaying hand-painted floral wallpaper. “That is the exact pattern I wanted for the accent wall. It is eighty dollars a roll, which is just a bit out of reach right now.”
She turned to me, her fingers touching her collarbone again. “Laura, would you mind terribly if we ran this through your account? Just as a loan until the estate settles.”
I looked at the delicate paper in the window, then back at her face. “How much do you need?”
“Four hundred dollars would cover the paper and the adhesive,” she said, her eyes wide and hopeful.
“I will have to check the joint ledger tonight,” I said.
