Teodoro remembered that the name of the girl Josias was so determined to date was Melissa. Was this gentleman her father? Was it finally time for the dreaded “father-in-law” conversation?
“Better if you wait here. I’ll call him,” Teodoro said with caution. For a split second, a darker thought crossed his mind: what if this Simeon was actually a henchman for the moneylender, finally tracking Josias down to settle the debt with blood?
Teodoro climbed the stairs and knocked on Josias’s door. The boy opened it almost instantly.
“Forgive me for interrupting your nap,” Teodoro apologized.
“What nap?” Josias chuckled, wiping sweat from his brow. “It’s so hot I can’t even close my eyes. I’m going to ask you to wash these sheets tomorrow; they’re sticking to me.”
“Consider it done, son. But li
