February came into New York the way it always did, without apology, the city stripped down to its essential self, cold and clear and honest about what it was.
Lena had always liked February for that reason. It did not perform anything. It was just the thing it was and you either accepted it or you spent the month being miserable about something you could not change. She had made peace with February a long time ago and she appreciated the clarity of it.
She was at her desk at eight fifteen on a Tuesday, the third week of the month, with her coffee and the morning light coming through her office window at the particular low angle that February produced, everything sharp-edged and pale gold. The phase three Meridian deliverables were due to the client at the end of the week and the team was
