I clear my throat hard. "Would you like something to drink, Harriet?"

"Yes, please," she answers with one of those bright smiles. "Anything is fine. Seltzer, soda, water..."

"Lemon lime seltzer?"

"Perfect."

I take the can from my fridge and pour it into a glass, sliding it across the island in her direction, rather than get too close. But when I do that, when I avoid going near her, I watch her smile dim and sadness dance through her brown eyes. Painful, burdensome sadness that doesn't ...