Chapter 154

• That afternoon was quiet enough that I could hear the hum of the lights above the cutting tables. I was sorting through a stack of fabric swatches when Lena called my name from the front. There was a different tone in her voice, one that made me look up immediately. When I stepped into the front of the boutique, a man stood near the door, hat in his hands, the faint weight of travel in the way he carried himself.
• It took a few seconds before I placed him. Time had added lines to his face, softened the edges I remembered, but the eyes were the same. Marco. Years ago, during the Noelle years, he had been one of the few people who treated me like I wasn’t invisible. He had supplied me with materials when no one else wanted to risk associating with me. We had lost touch without words, as if silence was easier than goodbye.
• He smiled, tentative, as though unsure if I would welcome him or ask him to leave. I felt an unexpected mix of warmth and wariness. I asked him to sit. Lena quietly slipped into the back, leaving us alone in the front room.