Tuesday morning I went to San Rafael to get the materials I needed to build the cage and then went back to the studio to start prepping the wood. I was unloading everything from my truck when Rae left to take Diego for a walk; I was still out there when she returned. She didn’t acknowledge me, and I didn’t acknowledge her, not even when Diego ran over to investigate what I was doing. I assumed this meant Rae and I had a mutual understanding that we would steer clear of each other while October was out of town, and that suited me fine. But later in the afternoon, as I was measuring for the double grid that would be the floor of the cage, Rae came back outside.

She walked to the opposite side of the table and used a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. Instead of her usual almonds and raisins, she had a bag of dried apricots, and as she held one between her thumb and index finger, the sun shone through it the way a flashlight illuminates the veins of a hand.

I took my time with the piece of wood I was working on and then put down my pencil and waited for her to say whatever it was she wanted to say. Sweat dripped into my eyes, and I wiped my brow.

“I told you everything would go back to normal once Chris got home, yeah?”

I think she was waiting for me to put my hurt feelings on display for her, but she would wait a long time for that. I could feign indifference better than anyone. I gave her nothing.

“They’re in Big Sur, in case you’re wondering.” She ate the apricot she’d been holding. “A little romantic getaway at the Post Ranch Inn.”

I watched foamy saliva collect and pool in the corners of her mouth when she talked and chewed at the same time. And as I stood there listening to her, I wondered if she was deliberately trying to hurt me or simply trying to prove her point.

“I happen to know you’re the one who asked Cal to fly home,” I said. “He told me.”

She looked confused, and I corrected myself. “Chris, I mean.”

“Right. October mentioned you and Chris are what, childhood friends or something? What a coincidence, yeah?”

She was doing it again. Insinuating that I had some ulterior motive to come in and steal October from Cal. She had no clue.

“Some friend you are,” she said.

I hesitated to respond. In my opinion, this was none of Rae’s business. But I didn’t want her meddling any further. More specifically, I didn’t want her telling Cal anything that would hurt him.