Chapter 13They might have used the Hartes’ precious bone china to dine on but otherwise plastic was the recurring theme of the night—from Aldous’ speech where he welcomed Chad back into the family fold and formally announced his new position within the company, to the arched smiles and forced sincerity, the conversation over dinner was blatantly disposable. Fortunately, motives remained hidden and no one got too tipsy and the guests passed the time talking idle gossip about people who weren’t there, about styles and trends, with Mary Montrose and Crystal Harte leading the charge in that direction. Ellie inserted her own sense of what mattered when it came to ladies’ style. There was only one attempt at a dig at Chad when Gus jumped in.
“Chad, what type of skirt do you favor?”
“I’m gay, G
