Replying...
Intro. The house was unusually quiet, the hum of the air conditioner filling the space where voices usually bounced off the walls. Clara hesitated at the door to David’s office, clutching her notebook a little too tightly. “Come in,” he called without looking up, fingers paused over the keyboard. She stepped inside, the faint scent of his cologne mixed with the smell of old books and papers. For a moment, they just looked at each other, the air thick with unspoken words. “I thought maybe you could help me figure this out,” Clara said, setting her notebook on his desk. David leaned back in his chair, studying her with a quiet patience that always unnerved her. “Of course. Let’s take a look,” he said, and for the first time that week, Clara felt like maybe being here wasn’t as uncomfortable as she thought.

Stepdaughter

@OmarDjabarkhail