Anna was momentarily confused. “Why not?” she asked. “Do you know something about him I should know?” She recalled asking Martin the same question.

Theresa shook her head. “I ain’t never even seen him before yesterday,” she said, “but I can’t work with no colored boy.”

“Oh, for pity’s sake,” Anna said. “He hopes to be an artist, just like you. The three of you are here to learn.”

“My daddy—”

“Why did your daddy even need to know?” Anna said, aware she was crossing a line. Theresa stared at her with disbelief that Anna would suggest she withhold such significant—to her—news from her father. Across the warehouse, Anna heard a burst of laughter from the boys. It warmed her. At least the two of them were getting along well.

“You don’t understand,” Theresa said.

“No, I guess I don’t,” Anna said wearily. “It’s up to you, Theresa. Jesse is working here. I’d like you to also work here. The choice is yours.”

“It ain’t right, what you’re asking.” She looked away from Anna, her coral-colored mouth set. “I got to leave.” And with that she stomped across the concrete floor, grabbed her coat from a hook on the wall, and headed out the door.

The boys looked up from their work.

“Theresa’s decided she doesn’t want to work here,” Anna said simply.

“What the—” Peter said, wrinkling his brow in confusion, but Anna watched Jesse go right back to work, measuring and hammering. He knew. She had the feeling that beneath his dark skin, his cheeks were burning.

Anna found Pauline to be a delightful traveling companion on their drive north to Norfolk, at least for the most part. They talked about what it was like growing up in Edenton and how Karl proposed to her (on a small boat while paddling through one of the many creeks in the area) and then Pauline shared all the gossip she could possibly remember about people in town. There was certainly plenty of it. She didn’t ask Anna much about herself, and that was fine. Anna still didn’t feel ready to talk about her mother with anyone.

“How many teenagers are working with you?” Pauline asked when she’d exhausted every salacious story she could think of about her fellow Edentonians.

“Just two,” Anna said. “Two boys. The girl quit because one of the boys is colored. She said her father wouldn’t approve.”

Pauline laughed. “I’m sure she’s right,” she said. “Who’s her father?”

Anna shrugged. “I haven’t met him. Her name is Theresa Wayman.”

“Oh, good heavens,” Pauline said. “Do you know who her father is?”

“I have no idea,” Anna said.

“Riley Wayman is president of the bank. A real bigwig in town.”

His name suddenly sounded familiar. Someone at that first meeting she’d had with the “movers and shakers” must have mentioned him.