Ellis held the door for her and they stepped into the brisk night. Emma
waited for him to join her.
"Brr! Isn't it cold?"
"It certainly is."
She sensed his uncertainty, his embarrassment, and did her best to put
him at ease.
"Come. Walk beside me."
She slipped her hand through his arm and drew him a bit closer.
"You're a tall young man, Ellis. Your mother must be very proud of you."
There was wistfulness in this voice, "I haven't any mother. She died
when I was eight."
"Oh." Emma's sympathy was immediate and sincere. "I'm sorry! Do you
remember very much about her."