Sophie arrived in a yellow dress and handed him a sheet of paper covered in brightly drawn stars.

“It’s for the front desk,” she said.

“So nobody has to look sad when they ask for help.”

The receptionist accepted it with a smile.

Later that afternoon it hung behind the desk beside a printed directory of services.

Nathaniel stood by the window listening to ordinary voices asking ordinary questions.

He wished Caroline could see it.

Then he remembered that her idea had been to make room for people, and for the first time the wish felt connected to something he could do rather than to something he could never change.