locks. Once her bronze hair was dry, she began digging through her suitcase for an outfit. From across the room, the mirror reflected the movement of her bare body, drawing her eyes, although she could barely make out her curves through the fog in her vision. She slid on her glasses before reaching behind her to weave her loose hair into a braid that fell down the arch of her back. After pulling on some thick gray leggings, a long sleeved shirt, and a light sweater, she finished searching through her luggage and strolled from the room with her socks and shoes in hand and her camera bag slung over her shoulder.
Her father sat at the dining room table with a book resting open on his palms and a steaming cup of black coffee resting on the table in front of him.
"Where's Mom?" Cara inquired as she set her shoes down on the floor and sat in her usual place at the table.
Dennis' eyes raised from his page and the corners of his mouth pulled up into a grin at the sight of her.
"She's adding a few things to her website before taking her official Christmas vacation." He deliberately marked his page with a bookmark and set his book to the side while Cara looped the strap of her camera bag over the back of her chair.
"Oh, she mentioned some new merchandise on the phone last night."
"Yes, she's been hard at work for weeks on some new projects. It's been wonderful to watch, she really is very crafty."
Cara smiled knowingly at the admiration in her dad's voice.
"Well, whenever she's done, I have some pictures for you guys. Is there anymore coffee?"
Her father perked up at the mention of her photographs. "Yeah, there's some left in the pot. What are the pictures of?"
Cara made her way to the kitchen to grab a mug with her dad following close behind her.
"Let's wait for Mom so I can show you together," she replied as she poured her cup.
"Can't I just have a peek?" Dennis asked dejectedly. "Your mother is going to be a bit." He pouted goofily, making Cara giggle.
"Not yet, Dad," she insisted, making her way back to the table as she blew the steam from the surface of her coffee.
They both sat down across from each other again and took a sip of their bitter beverage. The two grew quiet looking out the dining room window into the front yard. As the warm sunlight pooled across the wooden floor, Cara drifted into a memory of sharing the table with her father when she was a child. She recalled him leaning over her small shoulder to help with her homework while also working on lesson plans for his students. He had since retired from teaching, trading his role as a professor for that of an author, and it pleased her immensely to imagine him sitting there writing a manuscript.
As a warm happiness filled her, she turned to study the man who had raised her. She admired the gray that now streaked through his hair giving him an air of authority and wisdom. He sat a few inches taller than her, with a slight scruff on his chin below his broad smile. His strong yet kind hazel eyes fell on her as he turned with a hint of curiosity flashing across his face.
Cara rested her chin in her hand, leaning on the table in front of her, and gestured to the book her father had discarded.
"Is that for work or for pleasure?" she wondered, causing his eyes to drift to the novel.
"Ah," he pulled it to him, "both, I suppose. I'm researching further for my next trip out to the telescope."
Her father was an accomplished physics professor, but a passion for writing awakened within him that led him to retire from teaching. He'd explored writing for several years while Cara was in high school, before publishing his first science fiction novel after she left for college. The world of science fiction had opened up the hobby of stargazing for him, and he could spend hours discussing what was and could be out in the universe with anyone who would listen. Spending nights out at the telescope had become a family event. When the three of them were out there it always made Cara thankful to be a part of her eccentric but loving family.
"Hello, gang!" her mother's voice broke Cara from her memory, making her leap lightly in her seat.
"Oh, Mom, you scared