I worked in places where I was asked if I knew how to write a cover letter, even though I had been through four years of college and could most certainly pull out a “To Whom It May Concern.” I wasn’t going to get into all that with Nathan. I didn’t want to start at a deficit.

“Random stuff. It doesn’t matter,” I said. “What about you?”

“I was an IT manager.”

“What is that, even?”

“You don’t know what an IT manager is?”

“I’m not being rude. People say it all the time, but what does it mean? It just sounds impressive.”

I wasn’t sure he was buying my attempt to save the conversation, but I refused to look him in the face to check.

“Well, my boss had no idea how to use her computer, so I would travel around with her on her business trips to make sure she could access her e-mails. I’d also check the Wi-Fi in the office. I made it look hard. Before that I was an apartment manager.”

“Really?”

“Is that more or less impressive? I can’t tell,” he said.

I looked at him, and he was smirking.

“Free rent is impressive.”

“It was a high point.”

“Did you evict people?”

“It made me feel awful to do it.”

“So now you’re making amends?” I asked.

“Something like that. I’ve found spirituality through this work. My way of building up better karma.”

“A bonus,” I said.

After a brief silence he asked, “How many times have you seen Daphne?”

“Just once, but I’ve read her letters,” I said.

“And her pain?”

“She’s no longer avoiding it.”

“I could see why you’d like her,” he said, and suddenly we were at Daphne’s house.

14.

Daphne had texted me that she had told her nurse to leave the door unlocked and she would be in bed when we arrived. I’m tired today, she texted. Nathan asked me to go inside first and I appreciated that.

“How are you feeling, Daphne?” he asked, standing next to her bed.

“As well as can be expected,” she replied, looking Nathan up and down.

He gathered an armful of her cups that were scattered on her bedside table.

“My nurse can clean those up,” she said. “Before I fire her next week.”

“It’s no problem,” Nathan said, before heading to the kitchen.

“Where’s Pierre?” I asked.

“You only came over here to see Pierre? I’m the one who needs you.”

She looked at me and winked. All I wanted to do was tell her how much I needed her.

“I don’t care about Pierre at all,” I said, sitting down on the edge of her bed.