Fixing Jack’s car had taken until noon. When it was finally running again, Jack had to hurry over to his parents’ house, because he was expected for lunch. Like every Thursday they had his grandma over from the retirement home, and Jack usually tried not to miss that. With nothing else to do, Joe d

Downstairs in the kitchen, Sarah’s fridge had a lot to offer. It was a wonder the door still closed. There was leftover lasagna, all kinds of cheeses, vegetable soup, cut meats, some antipasti in glass jars and the leftover tiramisu covered with foil. Joe stared at the well-stocked shelves undecide

She turned the water back on, prepared a bowl of mixed salad and put it in the fridge and the she set the table: Red placemats, white plates, red and white striped napkins, glasses for water and some for wine. She had made sure there was no candle on the table or anything else that would give the wr

Joe opened a few cabinets, looking for a bowl for the pasta. When he couldn’t find anything he shot her a questioning look, pointing to the noodles in the strainer. “Sure, it’s a chance,” she muttered, her eyes meeting Joe’s. She pointed to the cabinet above the stove. Joe opened it and she nodded.

“Yeah, it’s been there for four generations. I saw his father only once, and his grandma… VIP, high society kind of people. I think there’s even some aristocratic streak in there as well. At least that’s what Richard let slip once…” Joe laughed. “Hence his regal behavior. Still, can’t picture him i