When Margaret and Patricia left, silence lingered between them. It was not uncomfortable but charged in a way that neither of them could quite name.
Evelyn adjusted her bag, unsure what to say. The chaos from earlier had finally settled and yet her heart hadn't caught up.
"Thank you," she said finally in a low voice. "For stepping in earlier."
Alexander looked at her with an unreadable expression. "You don't have to thank me."
"I do," she insisted softly. "It could have gotten worse."
He shook his head. "It shouldn't have happened at all." His tone was calm but beneath it he sounded very protective and a little pissed.
Evelyn lowered her gaze, unsure how to respond. She had never known him to lose his composure.
Alexander wasn't someone who would get into an argument with someone in public. He often ignored it and yet he had for her.
