Maris didn’t venture out until she heard Norris leave in his SUV, and then she drove to the Arco for her morning coffee. She wondered where he’d gone: errands, the gym? Whatever uptight emotionally constipated bachelors did on the weekend. She wondered if this was how it was going to be for the rest of her time in this house—avoiding Norris, burdened by guilt and embarrassment over how she’d upset him, sneaking in and out of his apartment to do her work. She wouldn’t be able to avoid him tonight, though. Pet stopped by midmorning to make plans to go to the barbecue together. They would go in Norris’s car at six. Maris couldn’t bring herself to tell Pet about what had happened; she considered backing out, but that would mean giving a reason and she didn’t have any excuses, at least any that she felt like discussing. A little after five, as Maris was stepping out of the shower, the phone rang. When she saw that it was Jeff, she let it go to voice mail, staring at the screen until it finally beeped—and then played the message back, dripping water on the kitchen floor as she stood with only a towel wrapped around her.
