He wasn’t ready to place it permanently yet, but he wanted a look at it to be sure the proportion of the case was right. One of the best things about clock-making was the way it focused his attention. He couldn’t think of anything else while he worked. Usually. This evening it seemed even the new clock wasn’t enough to keep his mind from straying. He couldn’t put it off any longer. He had to tell Lydia tonight about losing his job, before she heard rumors about the layoffs from someone else. It would be a difficult conversation to have at the best of times. With Lydia still so upset over learning the truth about her family, it seemed impossible, but it had to be done. He frowned at the clock case, running his fingers along the curve of the wood. A maple mantel clock, it was destined to be a gift for Lydia’s parents on their anniversary. Twenty-five years they’d been married, a reminder that they’d been newlyweds when they’d accepted the responsibility of raising Lydia as their own.
