15
‘Ms Kramer?’ Duane asked the young woman sitting at the table. She looked up, seemingly taken aback by the large Black man hovering over her.
‘Duane Swisher,’ he offered.
She continued to stare at him, saying nothing.
‘Thank you for coming, especially on a Friday morning,’ Duane said with a small smile. ‘Can I get you a coffee?’ he inquired, noticing she had nothing in front of her. ‘I’m going to grab one. They sometimes frown on people sitting here without buying anything.’
She looked around the Starbucks and finally nodded. ‘A vanilla latte, please.’
‘Got it,’ Duane said, trying again to give her a reassuring smile, as well as trying not to read too much into the look she had given him. As he waited in line, he viewed her from the corner of his eye. She looked to be around the
