Reed can be…blunt. Patty can be, too. But she’s blunt in a charming, Texan way – she understands social graces. Patty knew that Reed didn’t always notice when he’d ruffled someone’s feathers, and that he was often oblivious to other people’s hurt feelings – especially people who didn’t know him well, like I did. If there was a contentious meeting, Patty knew how and when to take Reed aside and gently suggest that maybe he should apologize for calling somebody’s idea “totally unsupported by reason.”