“Look,” he says, “you and I are good friends. I probably know you better than anyone else in this department. And I mean it when I say I’m glad to see things turning in the right direction. You’ve been through hell. Really. I mean, there but for the grace of God, you know?” He cuts a glance at the photos of his family, then goes on. “But I do feel the need to speak up, to look out for you. And I couldn’t say it last night with Lance there. I didn’t want to embarrass you. And Lance . . . he’s a little loose-tongued. I’ve learned I have to be careful what I say around him, especially when there’s alcohol involved. He gets depressed as well. I don’t think he’s written a poem since he got tenure fifteen years ago.” Preston rubs his forehead. “Between you and me, I wouldn’t mind seeing him retire. But that’s about five years away. And you just can’t easily get a tenured professor to go. So we’re kind of stuck with him. He runs his mouth to feel important, especially with students, so unless I want the whole world to know . . . Plus, I didn’t want to ruin the good time you were having. It was a really big night for you. A book published. Most of us are lucky just to have enough articles published to get tenure.”

On a few occasions, Preston has talked about writing a novel. He’s even gone so far as to show me a few chapters from a work in progress. It seemed more theoretical than dramatic and completely plotless. I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to read it, but I gave him a few pointers, trying to help.

“You clearly had a woman there when we showed up,” he says. “I could tell by how you acted when we came in. A man acts different when a woman’s been in his house. It’s just something we can sense instinctively. You said it was your neighbor up the street, but why would a neighbor slip out the back door like a thief in the night? Why wouldn’t she want to stay and celebrate your big evening with you? With your friends?”

“She didn’t—”

“Hey,” he says. “I get it. I was single once too.” He jerks his thumb toward the photos. “It’s been a while, but I remember. I’m not trying to pry into your business, even though we are friends. A new relationship or whatever, you may want to keep it quiet. That’s cool. And Emily was smart and beautiful, but it’s been five years. That’s a long time.” He leans forward. “But I was thinking about it last night and this morning. And I talked it over with Kelly.”

“You talked with Kelly?”