“My office is just through here,” he said over his shoulder. “You can leave your purse there before we get to work.” His windowless office was a bit smaller than hers and plastered with reading posters and famous children’s book jackets. His desk was a disaster. It was a cluttered mess of papers, books, and empty Styrofoam cups that once held coffee. “Sorry for the mess. I keep meaning to get around to a spring cleaning.”

Victoria smirked. “It’s autumn.”

He actually appeared to be embarrassed. “So it is.”

Framed photos also occupied his desk. One featured two women, one black and the other white, possibly in their sixties, drinking margaritas. The other photo was the one that caught Victoria’s eye and held her attention. It was a black woman and a small girl who appeared to be her daughter. The photo was taken while the woman was mid-laugh, her dreadlocks wound in a careless bun that sat at an odd angle on her head. She and the girl were both quite beautiful. Victoria’s heart dropped slightly as she glanced at John’s bare ring finger. Ex-wife? “She’s lovely,” she said, gesturing to the photo.

John looked down at his desk. “Oh, Jessi? Yeah, she’s great.”

Is she? “Is that her daughter?” Victoria asked.

He picked up the photo and examined it thoughtfully. “Yeah, that’s Becca, my niece. I took this picture when she was about six or seven. She’s twelve now.”

Victoria was oddly relieved, but also a little confused. “She’s your niece?”

His grin crinkled the corners of his eyes. “We get that a lot. Jessi is my twin stepsister. We were the same age when my parents divorced and my dad married her mother.”

She nodded. “Oh, I see.”

“My dad died when we were seventeen. After that, we grew pretty close and we’ve been best friends ever since.” He picked up the other photo with the older women. “And our mothers became best friends as well.”

The relief flooded her as she nodded along, and she felt foolish for it. There’s nothing for you to be relieved about. It’s none of your business anyway. His romantic attachments are none of your concern. “That’s nice,” she said politely.

“Do you remember being twelve?”

The abrupt question made Victoria chuckle as she did the math in her head. “It was twenty-two years ago, so barely?”

John nodded. “Yep, it’s been a cool twenty-six for me. I ask because I’m taking care of Becca for a couple of months while Jessi is abroad for her job.”

“Ahh, so you’re now thrust into a father role.”

“Being a fun uncle only gets you so far,” John admitted. “Becca is so smart and so...”

“Tempestuous?”

“Exactly.”