"Let's make her our entertainment for the evening. God knows the jazz band is boring."
Preston's eyes lit up. He straightened in his chair like a child who had just been handed a new toy. "I love it." He raised his glass toward the table. "A game for everyone: who can make the diversity hire cry first? Real tears. None of that quiet sniffling. I want waterworks."
He looked around at the other guests: Walter, Thomas, their wives. No one objected. No one said a word. Walter reached for his wine and took a long sip as if he needed something to hide behind. His wife pressed her lips together and stared at the centerpiece. Thomas loosened his tie.
The air at the table had changed. Something dark had entered, and no one had the courage to tell it to leave.
"Rules are simple," Preston continued, his voice loud enough for the neighboring table to hear. "Whoever gets tears first wins. Sloan, you keep score."
Sloan tapped her phone screen. "Already on it, babe."
Victoria said nothing. She didn't need to. Her silence was permission. Her slight nod, barely visible, just a half-inch dip of her chin, was a command.
Preston fired the first shot. "So, Camille, tell us about your family. What does daddy do? Bus driver, security guard, or is he one of those guys who holds a sign outside a construction site?"
"My father works in business."
"Business?" Preston snorted. "What kind of business? The kind where you sell things out of a van, or the kind where you stand on a corner with a bucket of roses?"
Sloan giggled. She held her phone higher now. The red recording light was on.
"And your mother?" Preston pressed. He was enjoying this. His pupils were dilated. His cheeks were flushed. The bourbon had peeled away whatever thin layer of restraint he might have had. "Let me guess: home-aide, nursing assistant? Something where she wears scrubs and calls everyone honey?"
Camille's fingers tightened around her water glass, but her voice stayed level. "My mother was a teacher. She passed away four years ago."
The table went quiet. Even Sloan lowered her phone for a moment. A normal person would have stopped. A decent person would have apologized.