Timothy knew well enough how Mr. Smith operated. During their callst night, Mr. Smith had mentioned he was waiting for someone, but as a friend, Timothy hadn''t nned to push him too hard.


    Timothy took a small sip of his coffee. "Aren''t you going to wait for the person you mentioned?"


    Mr. Smith grinned, carefree as ever. "No need. I trust you-you know my situation, and you''d never set me up with the wrong person."


    "That''s true enough."


    After all, She had made quite a name for herself in the animation industry. Timothy was familiar with the role in question; it wasn''t the lead, and he doubted She would have any trouble with it.


    "Then it''s settled," Mr. Smith said. "Let me know when you''re free to set up a meeting so we can talk through the details."


    Tomorrow was a holiday, and Timothy would be heading back to his family''s old house. "How about tonight?"


    “Perfect! It''s a date. Dinner''s on me at The Silverthread Eatery tonight."


    After parting ways with Timothy, Mr. Smith texted Ines to let her know he''d worked things out and invited her to join them for dinner at The Silverthread Eatery that evening.


    Jessica was, after all, Ines''s student. Mr. Smith had first reached out to Ines about the project, so of course she had to be included. Besides, Ines had animation experience herself, which would make the discussion easier.


    When Ines got the message, she tried calling Jessica, but her phone was switched off.


    Still, since Mr. Smith had already arranged things with Timothy, and Timothy would surely bring Jessica along, Ines didn''t worry about getting in touch with her directly.


    Jessica, meanwhile, had wanted to call Ines, but with the Thanksgiving Day falling tomorrow, she''d decided to head back to her hometown to visit her mother''s and grandmother''s graves.


    The Thanksgiving Day wasn''t just a time for family reunions; it was also an important asion to honor the departed.


    For the past seven years, all her time and energy had been devoted to the Lawson family. She''d followed their traditions, joined their gatherings, and never once had the chance to return home for her own family''s rituals.


    Thinking about it now, she felt a pang of guilt for her absence.


    This year, she decided, she wouldn''t be serving the Lawsons or joining them at their family gravesite.


    That afternoon, Jessica powered her phone back on, booked a train ticket, and set off for home.


    To avoid Timothy calling her back for the Lawson family''s holiday dinner, she turned off her phone again as soon as she''d boarded the train.


    As it turned out, Timothy didn''t try to contact her.


    After meeting with Mr. Smith, Timothy let She know that everything was set.


    She told him she''d head home after work to change before meeting at The Silverthread Eatery. Timothy had helped hernd this chance, and she knew Mr. Smith would want to interview her-she wanted to look the part.


    So, as soon as Timothy finished work, he drove straight to Moonstrand Vis to pick She up.


    She had timed everything to arrive five minutes early, but when they walked in, they found Mr. Smith was already there.


    He''d arrived even earlier than they had he was especially hopeful about Jessica.


    Last time, Jessica had missed their meeting, but Ines had exined: Jessica had been on her way until a family emergency-her child threatening to jump from a window-forced her back home. Jessica herself had been eager for the opportunity.


    Mr. Smith also knew She was Timothy''s aunt, so it made sense for them toe together.


    Mr. Smith was just about to ask Timothy where his wife was when Ines arrived. He turned his attention to greeting her and didn''t get the chance.


    As soon as Ines took her seat, she turned to Timothy. "Timothy, where''s Jessica? Why isn''t she here?"


    Mr. Smith immediately looked to Timothy as well, just as eager to know why Jessica hadn''t shown up.