She stepped back into the doorway and pulled the door all the way open.

I lifted my foot, stepped over the threshold into her dim hallway, and the wooden door swung shut behind us.

The latch caught behind us with a sharp, dry click.

I stayed two feet from the coat rack, keeping my back pressed to the wooden trim of the entryway.

“I’ve got mint tea or plain black,” Claire said.

She went behind a low laminate counter and picked up a tin kettle.

I turned my silver wedding band twice around my left thumb.