“Is there another card we can try, Mrs. Ralston?” Harrison asked.

“No,” Gloria said, her voice shaking. “No, there isn’t.”

“Then I’m afraid we cannot proceed with the service,” Harrison said. “We will have to ask your guests to vacate the room so we can clear the tables.”

Gloria looked as if she had been slapped.

“You cannot do this to me,” she whispered. “Do you know who we are?”

“I do, Mrs. Ralston,” Harrison said. “But the club policy is very clear regarding unpaid events.”

One of the florists began pulling down a small arrangement of white roses from the entryway, placing them back into a plastic crate.

The guests began to stand up, their chairs scraping loudly against the hardwood floor.

Gloria stood frozen in the center of the room, her cream silk dress suddenly looking very bright against the emptying space.

She looked toward the door and her eyes locked onto mine.

She stared at me, her eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and sudden realization.

I did not smile.

I simply stood by the pillar, my hands folded over my purse, watching her world slip away.