She was aware this was not a reasonable thing to think about a housing allocation mistake.

She thought it anyway.

Her phone buzzed.

River.

*Merchant Street building. Someone's started work on the upper floors. Come and see.*

She looked at the message.

She packed her bag and went.

---

The building had scaffolding on the upper floors and two men visible through the windows doing something to the facade and River was standing on the opposite pavement with his hands in his jacket pockets looking at it when she arrived.

She stopped beside him.

She looked at the building.

The scaffolding obscured some of it but she could see where...