He frowned.
“I thought Clara was sitting beside Margaret.”
“So did I,” Grandma said.
Adrian looked at the place card.
Then at the gap where a chair should have been.
“Where’s her chair?”
Vanessa’s jaw tightened.
“We needed to accommodate some last-minute changes.”
“Then we can get another chair.”
He signaled to a nearby banquet attendant.
It should have been an easy solution.
A chair could have been brought over in thirty seconds.
But I was standing there remembering Vanessa’s voice.
Half-sister.
Not an explanation about a seating chart.
A correction.
I looked at Adrian.
“Thank you. But I don’t want another chair.”
He seemed surprised.
“Clara, I’m sure we can sort this out.”
“That’s kind of you. But Vanessa made herself clear.”
Grandma Margaret took a careful step away from the table.
Her knee buckled slightly.
I hurried toward her.
“Grandma, sit down. Please. Don’t hurt yourself over this.”
She gripped my arm.
“I’m not leaving you standing here alone.”
Aunt Patricia moved to her other side.
“We can find a seat in the lobby.”
Vanessa looked at the guests gathering around the edges of the ballroom.
