Outside the teahouse, there was no parking space; Andrew dropped Madeleine off, told her to go in and order first, while he headed to the mall across the street to park.
Madeleine walked up to the entrance of the teahouse and was just about to reach out to push the door when it was pulled open from inside, and a woman hurried out in a rush.
The woman was moving quickly, and she collided with Madeleine's shoulder, causing the bag she was holding to fall to the ground.
Madeleine and the woman both stopped in their tracks, and then they both bent down to pick up the bag. Madeleine's fingers touched the bag first, and then she heard a slightly surprised voice coming from the woman opposite her, "Ms. Madeleine?"
The voice was somewhat familiar, causing a jolt through Madeleine's entire body, and she instinctively tightened her grip on the bag she had picked up. She hung her head low, paused for a long while, then slowly raised her head.
