I watched her hand, the heavy gold rings on her fingers clicking against the tabletop.

She didn’t look at any of us as she finished writing the numbers.

“There,” Juliette said, tearing the check from the book with a sharp rip.

She didn’t hand it to me; she let it flutter onto the granite counter between us.

“Now call them off,” she said.

I didn’t touch the check. I looked down at it, seeing the signature in her loopy, elegant handwriting.

“I need to make sure the funds are actually there, Juliette,” I said.

Juliette stared at me, her eyes dark with a quiet fury.

“The account is active,” she said. “The money is there.”

“I’d prefer a direct transfer,” I said, pointing to the banking information I had printed at the bottom of the invoice page.

“Right now. Before I tell Dan to press the button for the gate.”

Sarah nodded, her face grim. “Do it, Mom. Log into the app.”

Juliette’s mouth tightened into a thin, pale line as she reached back into her bag for her phone.