The room looked exactly as she had requested.
Gold pendant lights warmed the long table.
The cake waited on a side stand beneath a clear cover.
Cream place cards marked every setting.
I moved toward the only empty chair I could see, which was beside Lila.
A cream card stood in front of the plate.
I had not yet read the name when Celeste’s fingers closed lightly around my elbow.
Her touch was gentle enough to look affectionate from a distance.
“Maren,” she said brightly.
Several cousins turned toward us.
“Find another table, sweetheart. This one’s for family—not adopted girls.”
She laughed immediately after saying it.
That laugh gave everyone else permission.
The nearest relatives smiled first.
Then Blake laughed and lifted his glass as though he were honoring a clever toast.
A few people followed because they assumed anything the hostess said must have been safe.
