I told her I would handle the lunch with the Kingsley family alone.

“Don’t let them provoke you,” Evelyn said in a soft, encouraging tone.

She patted her blue silk scarf when I mentioned Douglas’s name.

I promised her I would be back by three o’clock and kissed the top of her head.

The Buckhead Country Club dining room hummed with the sound of silver forks touching porcelain plates.

Polished brass chandeliers hung low over the white linen tables, casting warm light across the crowded room.

I arrived at noon sharp and handed my coat to the hostess.