When William Cobb returned home, he saw Amelia sitting on the sofa and hesitated for a moment.
"Amelia, didn't you go to school today?"
"Today is the weekend, Dad," Amelia explained.
She looked at William, her clear eyes scanning over him, "Were you busy all morning, Dad?"
"Yes," William removed his coat and casually draped it over the sofa.
"Is work not going well? You seem very troubled."
Amelia asked this sweetly, trying to use her innocent demeanor to coax William into saying something.
She put down the book in her hand, walked toward William, and pressed her long fingers gently on his temples.
Her daughter's warmth eased some of the fatigue in William's heart, and he sighed.
"Amelia is so good," William softened his voice and sighed sentimentally.
"One of your dad's colleagues passed away. His family is unwilling to accept this fact and has been at odds with one another."