“She didn’t leave, did she?” Hannah asked.

“I doubt it. She probably just went to the ladies’ room.”

Michelle watched for several minutes while the rest of them made casual conversation. Suddenly she laughed. “Relax, Andrea! You don’t have a thing to worry about!”

“What do you mean?” Delores asked, and Hannah realized that she hadn’t told Michelle that it wasn’t nice to spy. Evidently spying on a husband was a bad thing to do, but it was okay if you spied on your brother-in-law.

Michelle let the curtain drop and turned around to face them. “The lady cop just came back to Bill’s table, and I saw her before she sat down. There’s no way Bill would be interested in her.”

“She’s ugly?” Andrea sounded hopeful.

“No, she’s not ugly. But she’s a lot older than Bill. You were wrong about her hair. It’s gray, not blond. I got a really good look at her and she’s really old, at least fifty, maybe more.”

“Really…old?” Delores said, her words clipped and her tone as cold as ice.

Uh-oh! Michelle had put her foot in it this time! Hannah tried to think of something to say to defuse the situation, but before she could come up with a thing, Michelle opened her mouth.

“Did I say old? I didn’t mean old. Everybody knows that fifty’s not old.” Michelle almost stammered in her hurry to extricate herself. “It’s just that Bill has got to be at least twenty years younger than…well…most of the time, younger men don’t go for women old enough to be their…uh…”

Delores held up her hand. “Quiet, Michelle. You’re only digging yourself in deeper.”

“But I really didn’t mean that…”

“I said that’s enough, Michelle.”

Delores hadn’t raised her voice, she never did, but Michelle clamped her lips shut tightly. It was childhood all over again, and Mother was angry.

“It’s time for us to leave.” Delores stood up and motioned to Carrie. “Old people need their sleep, you know, and we have a big day coming up tomorrow.”

“Thank you for dinner, Mother,” Hannah said, hoping to change the subject.

“Yes, thank you, Delores,” Norman added quickly.

“Thank you, Mother,” Andrea said. “Dinner was delicious.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Michelle added her thanks. “Would you like me to go out and bring the car around for you? It’s pretty cold out tonight.”

“Thank you, Michelle, but no. I realize I’m old, but I think I can still walk to the parking lot without incident.” Delores gave her youngest daughter a withering glance.

“Oh, boy!” Michelle breathed when the curtain had closed behind her mother and Carrie. “Do you think she’ll ever forgive me?”

“Of course she’ll forgive you,” Andrea said. “She has to. She’s your mother.”