She picked up a stray piece of silver ribbon from the table and twisted it around her index finger.

“Do you think we could take a step back from the hotel logistics?” I asked.

“I want to handle the remaining vendor calls myself.”

Her fingers went perfectly still on my arm.

“Sweetie, I’m just trying to save you some stress,” she said.

“Are you?” I asked.

The silence stretched between us.

A waiter dropped a tray of silverware inside the restaurant, and the metallic clatter rang out through the open windows.