Jamie had given up the lease to the house in Surfside, and we went to a townhouse in Aventura. He had a puppy, a red retriever who barked when the door open and ran to his feet.

“Hey Marley, hey big guy,” he whispered, leaning over and rubbing behind the dog’s ears. “Be nice to Elisabeth, okay?”

The dog came over to sniff at my legs. I reached down to stroke its fur, but looked at the house that surrounded me.

There was a spiral staircase to a loft bedroom with cathedral ceilings on the second floor. Chrome appliances lined the kitchen counter and his bikes were tucked in the back corner of the living room. A half-full CD stand was next to a big-screen television. He had three full bookshelves, and in one of them was my copy of “The Bell Jar.” The f...

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