Chapter 6
He found himself lingering near the staff kitchen. He found reasons to walk past her. He found himself buying better apples for the fruit bowl because Sofi liked the red ones best.
He did not examine these changes too closely. He was afraid of what they meant.
Three weeks later, Lucia gave him another resignation letter.
“I’m not leaving because I feel guilty,” she said. “I’m leaving because I applied to the landscape architecture program at City College. I was accepted.”
Alex broke into a smile. “That’s incredible.”
“It’s a two-year program. Night classes.”
“We can change your schedule.”
Lucia shook her head. “I need to stop building my life around what other people require.”
The words could have sounded ungrateful. Instead, Alex heard courage.
“What will you do for work?”
“I was offered an assistant position at a small design firm in Brooklyn. It pays less, but they’ll work around my classes.”
“Do you need help?”
“No.”
He nodded. Lucia studied him, perhaps waiting for persuasion, or offense, or a grand financial solution. Alex offered none.
“When do you start?”
“Next month.”
“Then we have a month to find someone Sofi approves of.”
Lucia smiled. “She has high standards.”
May you like
“She should.”
On her final day, Alex gave her a small wooden box. Inside lay a set of professional drafting pencils that had belonged to his mother. Catherine Ward had once taken community college art classes. She had never finished them.
