Virginia entered our home that first afternoon and immediately began inspecting everything.
She stopped beside the living room window.
“Did you choose these curtains?”
“Yes.”
She touched the fabric.
“They make the room terribly dark. I would have picked something lighter.”
I smiled.
Then she tried the pie.
She chewed slowly.
“It’s decent.”
I waited.
“But it could use more spice.”
Walter immediately asked for a second slice.
That helped.
Before the evening ended, I decided to set one simple boundary.
“I really want you both to feel comfortable here,” I said. “Please use the kitchen, make yourselves at home. I only ask that we respect each other’s routines while you’re staying.”
Virginia raised one eyebrow.
“Of course. We’re guests. We didn’t come here to run your household.”
I smiled.
“Perfect.”
Justin said nothing.
By the next morning, the salt shaker had moved.
So had my kitchen towels.
