A large floral arch framed the entrance.
Luxury cars lined the curb.
Through the windows, I saw white tablecloths, candles, and guests holding champagne.
I slowed the car, looking for signs pointing toward the lawn.
There weren’t any.
Mia leaned forward.
“Maybe the barbecue’s around back?”
A valet walked over to my window.
I rolled it down.
“Are you here for Eleanor’s private birthday dinner?” he asked.
“The barbecue on the riverside lawn,” I replied. “We’re supposed to go through the main entrance.”
He frowned.
“There’s no barbecue scheduled tonight, ma’am. The birthday event is inside and on the terrace.”
My stomach dropped.
I looked back through the glass.
Everyone was dressed for a formal dinner.
I shifted the car into reverse.
“We’re going home.”
“But Grandma will say we didn’t come.”
“She lied to us.”
Mia looked down at her overalls.
“She’ll tell everyone we ruined her birthday. She’ll blame me, Mom.”
That stopped me.
My daughter knew Eleanor well enough to predict exactly what would happen next.
Thomas’s words echoed in my mind.
She already carries it.
I turned off the engine.
“We’re going inside.”
Mia looked up.
“Are we in trouble?”
“No.”
“Because of our clothes?”
“We wore what we were told to wear, baby.”
I stepped out of the car.
“We’re not apologizing for believing her.”
The valet offered to carry the cooler.
For a moment, I almost let him.
Then I looked at the glass doors, the floral arch, and the room Eleanor had carefully staged.
The cooler proved we’d arrived exactly as we’d been instructed.
“No, thank you,” I said. “I’ll carry it.”
My boots squeaked against the polished floor.
Conversations faded one by one as we crossed the restaurant.
Gregory, my father-in-law, stood near the head table.
His smile vanished the moment he saw us.
Thomas’s sister lowered her champagne glass.
One cousin stared openly at the cooler.
Eleanor approached in a pale silk dress.
“What on earth are you wearing, Alexis?” she asked.
“What you told me to wear.”
She laughed lightly.
“I said the celebration was by the river. I didn’t tell you to dress Mia for house painting.”
“You said the barbecue was on the lawn behind the restaurant. You mentioned grills, smoke, and mud.”
