"Everything is fine. I didn't come because of a problem."
"That's good." He gestured toward the open doorway. "Would you like to come in?"
She stepped inside, feeling immediately conspicuous in a tailored blazer and shoes that probably cost more than several of the chairs waiting for repair. The room smelled of cedar, linseed oil, and coffee. Tools hung in careful rows above a scarred bench, and shelves held jars of screws, old brass hinges, clamps, and neatly labeled pieces of wood. Each item had its place, yet none of the arrangement looked decorative. This was a room organized for use, not admiration.
Alice gave Victoria a measuring look. "You're the woman with the wallet."
"I am," Victoria replied, surprised. "Daniel told you?"
"Only enough to let me know he'd done something decent and somebody had offered to pay him for it. He left out how much, which usually means it was a ridiculous amount." Alice extended her hand. "Alice Pruitt. I live two doors down and try to keep him from forgetting that people need food."
Victoria shook her hand. "I'm Victoria Sterling."
"I know, dear. Everybody with a television knows. But you can call me Alice."
It had been a long time since a stranger had spoken to Victoria without either nervousness or calculated admiration. She found herself smiling. Daniel pulled out a chair and wiped a clean spot on the little table near the workshop window. "I was about to make tea," he said. "If you have a minute."
"I have more than a minute," she answered, and the admission surprised her.
The first part of their conversation moved awkwardly. Victoria asked about the table he was repairing, then caught herself speaking in the brisk tone she used when interviewing suppliers. Daniel explained the joinery without seeming offended, showing her how a careless repair could hide damage rather than correct it. Alice contributed a story about the time Daniel tried to repair a kitchen drawer while half asleep and installed the handle on the wrong side. By the time the water boiled, Victoria had laughed twice without planning to.
Alice eventually collected a parcel Daniel had wrapped for her and announced she was leaving before he could put her to work. At the door she turned back toward Victoria. "If you come around again, bring shoes you don't mind getting dirty. He acts civilized, but the man is happiest covered in sawdust."
"Alice," Daniel warned mildly.
"What? It's accurate."
After she left, a gentler silence settled over the workshop. Rain began falling beyond the window, lightly at first, then hard enough to make the roof sound like a drum. Daniel poured tea into two mismatched mugs and placed a plate of plain biscuits between them. Victoria looked at the chipped blue glaze on her cup and realized she had never owned a mug she would willingly use after its handle cracked.
"You didn't have to come across town to thank me again," Daniel said.
"I know." She watched the steam rise. "I've been trying to understand something."
"What?"