Now she looked at the new arrival laughing cautiously with people she had met less than an hour earlier and decided not to complain.
The chair beside Emma was empty.
She pulled it out from the table, leaving space for whoever came next.
Then she folded the cloth, set it beside the coffee cup, and went back to work.
Outside, the lunch rush moved on without noticing the small gesture. That was exactly why Emma liked it. Belonging had finally become ordinary enough that nobody needed to perform it, defend it, or take it away to prove a point.
Before leaving, Emma nudged the empty chair another inch from the table. A new arrival set down a tray beside it and sat.
