The couch was pulled forward and the rug was white with dust and my husband was standing beside the opening holding a utility knife. He said a socket had been loose, that he had taken the cover off to check the wiring, that the board cracked and he decided to open it further. Five feet of wall for one outlet. Then I looked at the floor and saw his drill, pry bar, level and tape measure laid out in a neat row, and the drywall stacked in careful cut sections by the fireplace. Nothing about it was accidental. When I asked why he had not rung me, he sighed and said he knew I would turn it into a big deal.

Juniper came down and barely looked at the hole, which is not like her at all, and when I asked whether she had been home Desmond answered for her and she said yeah and took a yogurt upstairs. At dinner she checked his face before every sentence.