CHAPTER 1: THE TABLE NEAR THE KITCHEN The folding chair creaked under my weight, tucked right between the caterer’s staging area and the quiet hum of the restroom fan. Outside on the patio, string lights glowed against pressed linen and white roses, framing my sister Vera like a centerfold in a home magazine. Table 9 […]
CHAPTER 1: THE KITCHEN DOOR EXILE The brass key to my off-campus apartment was cold against my thumb. I pressed its notched edge into the meat of my palm, using the sharp bite of metal to keep my shoulders straight as the glass doors of the Skyline Terrace Ballroom slid shut behind me. Ahead, three […]
CHAPTER 1: THE COLD ACCOUNT The valet ticket felt like cheap cardstock between my fingers. I sat in the driver’s seat of my sedan, the engine idling in the cool Dallas air, watching the gold-framed archway of the restaurant reflect in my side mirror. Lester’s voice still vibrated in my teeth. We don’t serve beggars. […]
CHAPTER 1: THE TABLE AT MAISON VERDE The steam from the test kitchen espresso machine hit my face in a humid, familiar wave. I wiped down the stainless steel counter with a damp towel, rhythmically clearing coffee grounds before picking up my phone. A message from my mother, Clarinda, sat on the screen. Engagement dinner […]
CHAPTER 1: THE CASSEROLE AMBUSH The casserole had barely cooled on the stove when my mother set a green college suitcase right beside my front door. I wiped my hands on the tea towel—the one smelling faintly of last summer’s lavender—and kept my back to the hallway. Five minutes ago, I was adjusting the faded […]
CHAPTER 1: THE NAMELESS SEAT The iron gate at the Quinland driveway squeaked twice, a thin metallic screech that cut through the humid afternoon air. I parked my eight-year-old sedan along the gravel shoulder, far enough from the polished SUVs near the front porch so I wouldn’t get blocked in when things went sideways. My […]
CHAPTER 1: THE NAMELESS SEAT The cream-colored cardstock sat on my kitchen counter, heavy enough to feel important. The gold script requested my presence at the Quinland estate for a “strategic planning session,” but the text my mother sent ten minutes later delivered the real instruction: Be calm. Let your sister lead. Don’t cause trouble […]
CHAPTER 1: THE COLD ERASURE The hairline crack near the handle of my ceramic mug bit slightly into my index finger. Steam rose off the black coffee, casting a thin film against the polished granite counter while the ceiling fan hummed overhead. Across the island, Lyall chewed his dry toast, eyes locked onto the green […]
CHAPTER 1: THE COLD KITCHEN TABLE The kitchen clock ticked like a countdown timer, but the silence sitting across from me was far louder. I turned the silver-plated Parker pen between my knuckles, feeling the brass showing through the worn plating. Forty-three years Richard had owned this pen before handing it to me on his […]
CHAPTER 1: THE CITATION AT THE PROPERTY LINE The sun beat down against the freshly poured concrete of my driveway, radiating a dry, unforgiving heat that caught in the back of my throat. Karen Miller stood with her weight planted firmly on my property line, her powder-blue tracksuit straining at the seams like a cheap […]
