Emily's POV
My mother had heard Ralph Othon’s name long before she ever saw his face, and I knew it the moment her eyes settled on him.
Not with curiosity, nor with surprise, but with that still, measuring calm she reserved for things she considered important. This was their first meeting, yet it felt like something she had already prepared for in her mind.
“So this is Ralph?” Se said, rising slowly from her chair. Her voice was even, almost warm, but there was a sharpness beneath it. “You finally decided to show up.”
Ralph smiled, “I didn’t want to be rude by arriving before I was invited.”
She studied him for a long second, then nodded slightly, as if confirming a private thought. “You’re taller and more eloquent than I expected.”
“I hear that a lot ma'am.” He replied lightly.
I
