There were no sounds coming from the lower portion of the house, so after Anissa made the bed and tidied the bathroom, she left her shoes off and walked down the stairs as quietly as she could, wincing when the old wooden boards gave a creak. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she saw David and something in her chest twisted painfully.

He had fallen asleep sitting on the sofa, where he still sprawled, his head thrown back against the suede cushions and his feet up on ...