Julia
Walking down the stairs, I heard the sound of a vacuum before I came to the bottom step and face-to-face with a woman I assumed was Margaret, the lady who Van had mentioned. Wearing blue jeans and a sweatshirt, she was moving about the tile and wood floors with a pull-behind vacuum. Although she had some signs of age, such as a few wrinkles, with her short blond hair, fit figure, and abounding energy, I didn't think she was the mother in this duo.
As soon as she saw me, a large smile blossomed across the woman's face. “Hello, Donovan said he had a guest."
I offered her my hand. “That would be me. I'm Julia."
“Hi, Julia. I'm Margaret, and my mother, Paula, is in the kitchen. If you're hungry she can make you something."
Her friendly greeting left me with a smile. “Oh, that's not
