The café had emptied out slowly, until only the warm hum of the lights remained. Katherine was wiping down the last table, her movements slower than usual, heavy with everything the day had dragged in. Her hands paused over the damp cloth as she glanced at the door.

She still felt Beth’s voice in her ear. The sharpness. The judgment. The weight of someone else’s mess suddenly thrown over her shoulders.

The bell above the door jingled softly.

...