She froze instantly in the middle of the driveway.

One of her cloth grocery bags slipped from her arm and dropped onto the damp gravel, but she did not bend down to retrieve it.

She simply stood there in the fog, staring up at Chad.

Up on the deck, Chad set his coffee cup down on the railing with extreme care, as if his hands had suddenly lost all strength.

For a long moment, total silence fell over the driveway.