Theodore answers the door, drying her hands with a white dish towel.“Thank you so much for coming, Father. Please, come in, come in.”I step inside, greeted by the scents of roasting chicken, furniture polish, and potpourri, but the hints of gardenia flowers and teenage tenderness drifting underneath domestic decorum and familial hospitality affect me deepest. “Timothy’s so sorry he couldn’t be here with your order earlier. He got caught finishing a last minute job for a school down on the east end, but he should be here within the hour. Can I take your coat?” “Thank you,” I say, shifting the stack of papers from hand to hand as I slip my arms out of black wool.“Are those for Lacie?” she asks, nodding at my handful.“Yes, ma’am.” I smile. “I thought I’d ask her other teachers for the work she missed.”“That’s so kind of you, Father.” Julia Theodore beams. She and her only daughter have the same hazel eyes, and hers brim with sincere sweetness as she takes my coat.“You can bring them up to her, if you don’t mind.”
