“We are hosting a family gathering. We are supposed to be celebrating.”

“We are celebrating,” I said. “With what we can afford.”

“We can afford whatever we want!” Juliette shouted. “Dan makes six figures!”

“Dan’s business had a bad quarter,” I said, looking directly at my husband.

Dan looked away, his eyes scanning the lawn.

“Is that true?” Juliette asked, her voice dropping slightly. “Dan?”

“We’re fine, Mom,” Dan said quickly. “It’s just a temporary cash flow thing. Annie is overreacting.”

“I am reacting to the fact that we owe ten thousand dollars on that black card already this month,” I said. “And most of it was spent on your mother’s ‘decorating consulting’ fees.”

Juliette gasped, clutching the gold pendant at her throat.

“I am your mother-in-law,” she said. “My time is valuable. I spent three days choosing those drapes.”

“The drapes that are currently sitting in boxes in the garage because they don’t fit the windows,” I said.

“They can be altered!” Juliette insisted.

“Not for free,” I said.

The sun was beginning to sink behind the tree line, casting long, dark shadows across the yard.