“Would you like some tea?” Loriann asked her visitors. Rashida nodded.

“That would be nice, thank you.” She settled herself at the dining table tucked into the corner of the large kitchen. She motioned for her daughter and husband to wait in the living room. Loriann filled a white chipped teapot with the tea and carried it on a tray to them, adding some of her homemade scones and mugs.

When she came back into the kitchen, she laid a similar spread between her and ...