Each time he went into his office, he closed the door behind him. He chose to eat his lunch in town that afternoon—a rarity for him, as he usually ate a turkey sandwich at his desk—and he kept their interactions brief and professional. Usually, they would chat about all sorts of things, mostly the funny stuff kids would say, Moe’s latest antics, Tansy’s classes, the weather. But today, Dan kept the nature of their conversation practical and painfully formal.

“Did the Smiths’ insurance company finally call back?” He was holding a clipboard and leafing through a stack of papers. “Fiona Smith, that is. The little girl who came in with the broken collarbone?”

Renee was insulted, but she hid her annoyance. Of course she knew who Fiona Smith was and remembered her injury. She had a knack for remembering each and every patient as well as the various reasons for their visits. It was something she prided herself on.

“Yes. Let me just check one thing.” Renee typed a few things and brought up the child’s file on her computer. “That’s right. The insurance company is covering the visit. All taken care of.”

“Good.”

“Yep.”

She watched him disappear back into his office. She wondered what he had done with their word of the day. Had he crumpled it into a ball and tossed it in the trash can? Fed it through the shredder?

Renee kept busy that afternoon, first making reminder calls to tomorrow’s patients, then recycling old magazines in the waiting room. She even took the time to clean out the little refrigerator in the tiny kitchenette, wiping down each shelf and getting rid of expired mustard and hot sauce that their part-time nurse, Betty, loved to use.

When it was finally time for Renee to pack her things and power down her computer for the evening, her disappointment had turned into frustration.

Maybe even anger.

Whatever the case was with Dan, she deserved closure. She definitely didn’t deserve to be iced out like this. Call her old-fashioned, but wasn’t it considered poor manners to sleep with one’s subordinate and then treat her like a total stranger?

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Dan said curtly. He paused in front of her desk. “Before I forget, would you be able to pick up more printer paper? I printed a lengthy article this afternoon, and I’m running low now.”

The secretarial ask, though appropriate and normally acceptable, felt demeaning and cruel given the current circumstances. That was all he had to say to her after such a strangely tense day? She wasn’t even deserving of a generic “Have a nice night”? What was next—early morning coffee orders? Taking Moe on noontime walks?

Renee snapped. “What the heck is the matter with you?”

Dan looked taken aback. “I’m sorry? What’s the matter with me?”