My Mom Called Me At 2 A.M. “Tomorrow, You Can Join Your Brother’s Fiancée’s Family For Dinner. BUT KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT.” I Asked Why. She Snapped: “Her Dad’s A Judge. Don’t Embarrass Us, You Always Do.” I Smiled: “Got It.” During The Toast, The Judge Suddenly Stopped Right In Front Of Me: “Hello, I’m Surprised To See You Here. Who Are You To Them?” The Room Fell ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Silent.

Cade leaned against the hallway archway like he was posing for a commercial, looking handsome in that polished way that people often mistook for actual substance.

“You made it,” he said as he hugged me with one arm without even setting down his wine.

“You sound surprised,” I replied, but he just smirked and said he was surprised I didn’t show up wearing a pantsuit and a closing argument.

I told him I was wondering how long it would take for the jabs to start, but he just told me to relax because the night was important.

“Cade, bring me the platter from the kitchen right now,” Mom called out, and then she told me to just stay out of the way for a minute.

I went into the living room and stood by the bookshelf, noticing that there were now more photos of Cade’s engagement party than there had ever been of my law school graduation.

I saw the recent family Christmas card on the mantel where I had been placed on the very edge, with one of my shoulders literally cut off by the frame.

I heard footsteps and turned to see a woman in a blue sweater dress holding a pie dish covered in foil, her cheeks pink from the cold air outside.

“You must be Audrey,” she said with a real smile that looked completely uncalculated as she introduced herself as Mallory.

I took the pie dish from her so she could take off her coat and told her she was welcome to the circus, which made her laugh in a surprised way.

She asked me about living in Philadelphia and what I did for a living, but Mom appeared out of nowhere before I could answer.

“Audrey just works in an office,” Mom said with a fixed smile that never reached her eyes, and Mallory looked confused as she repeated the answer back.

Mom laughed too brightly and said it was mostly paperwork and administration, which made Mallory look from my mother to me with a flicker of curiosity.

“Let me put this in the kitchen, and Audrey, why don’t you go check the table settings?” Mom said as she swept the pie away from me.

The dining room looked like a magazine display with a white tablecloth and crystal glasses lined up in exact triangles under the bright chandelier.

My name card sat at the far end of the table near the sideboard, placed far enough away from the center to make me feel irrelevant to the main event.