"It occurs to me that we haven't eaten today," Dirk says. After the university, he helped me make a grocery run, and I delivered supplies to a few of our renters. But this time, I had the presence of mind to hide him behind the bushes, so three deliveries only took fifteen minutes.

"Really? I forgot to eat?" I ask. I'm not known for skipping meals. I once ate an entire pizza while I had the stomach flu. "Do you think it's the spray Marie gave me?" I hold up the silver ...