I cursed silently under my breath and instinctively tried to avoid him, but Simon had already spotted me.
His eyes lit up immediately as he hurried over. "Claire," he said breathlessly. "I finally found you. I got your new address from our mother. I've been waiting here forever."
As he reached for my hand, I stepped back at once, keeping a careful distance between us.
"First of all," I said calmly, "she's my mother. Not our mother. Second, if you have something to say, send me a message online. What do you want to do in front of my door?"
Simon's smile stiffened briefly before he forced it back into place. "You've been out of the workforce for years," he said gently. "I figured getting back into things probably hasn't been easy."
Then he lowered his voice. "I didn't have time to check
