The air at the banquet table crackled with a different kind of electricity—the friction of familial shame. Silas tried to deflect his mother’s fixated matchmaking with a playful scoff. "Exactly, Mom. Stop making it sound like Tiffany is some clearance item no one wants."
But Aunt Sarah was undeterred, her voice rising with a frantic, unpolished edge. "What do you kids know? You have to pick the best while you’re young. Wait a few more years, and you’re the one being picked over, not the one doing the picking!"
Jane Bishop stepped in quickly, her social grace acting as a fire suppressant. She offered Aunt Sarah a diplomatic smile. "Don’t you worry, Sarah. Tiffany is both sensible and beautiful. She’ll find a husband every bit as wonderful as Chloe’s."
Aunt Sarah finally preened, satisfie
