of the company, I ordered coffee as the last crumbs of a shared chocolate torte were cleared away.
Then came the inevitable intrusion: the server arrived with the check.
Then came the inevitable intrusion: the server arrived with the check.
She placed the slender, dark leather folder on the table between us with practiced neutrality, offering a polite, subdued invitation to settle the obligation. I reached for my wallet without pause, pulling out my card. Claire, meanwhile, was engrossed in recounting
