The wine happened halfway to the resort. Ashley turned too quickly, or pretended to. The glass tipped, and red wine splashed across Maya’s dress in one heavy, cold sheet.

For a second nobody spoke. Then Ashley gasped. “Oh my God, Maya. I’m so clumsy.”

Linda looked at the spreading stain and lifted her mimosa. “Some women bring elegance into a family,” she said. “Others just ruin the picture.”

The van erupted. Ashley laughed first, Linda followed, and a cousin near the back muttered something Maya didn’t catch and then laughed because everyone else was.

Ryan gave a soft chuckle and stared out the window.

That sound settled inside Maya more deeply than the insult. She could forgive cowardice once. She could forgive discomfort. But Ryan’s smile wasn’t discomfort.