Summary

Margot explains that her friendship with Quin started slowly. He sent her emails and called her frequently for months after their dinner, but it was mostly one-sided until she had a very bad day. Her boyfriend broke up with her, her boss got fired, her building’s rent was increasing, and she got stuck on a broken subway for hours. She called a friend, who said she was busy and hung up. On a whim, she called Quin and told him everyone hated her and knew she was sick and useless. He comforted her and he invited her to tea.

Quin narrates the next section. His wife berated him for sending flirtatious email messages on his work account, but he felt as if the emails between him and his accusers show that there was mutual friendship and flirtation between them. He had...