“Just bring the check. Our son owns this place — dinner should be free.”….

Behind them came my younger sister, Julia, dressed in a bright red coat that looked far more expensive than anything our family had owned while I lived under their roof.

Beside her walked a young man I didn’t recognize, probably a boyfriend.

They were seated at table fourteen, directly across from the open kitchen.

From where I stood, I could see everything.

My mother’s eyes scanned the room the way a real estate agent studies a new property.