Melody watched her hand disappear into his, used to people being taller, but having to look up that far had her craning her neck a little.

"Yes, mom is just wrangling the dumplings into the soup," she told him, "because with this cold snap she figures they can use all the carbs they can get, so she made lots extra." She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost time to start serving, people already lined up at the door.

"Stephanie's not back, so if you want you could step in and help serve till she gets back," Mel suggested, indicating the buzz of people gathering outside. She wondered where Stephanie was, as she had been gone a little while now, and had planned on being back in time for serving. "Maybe the snow has made it hard for her to get to the store."