I stared at her. “Say that again.”
The dining room went silent.
“That chair is taking up too much space. People are trying to enjoy dinner.”
“No,” I said. “Repeat the part about my son ruining everyone’s evening.”
Her eyes flicked toward the nearby tables.
“No one wants that thing in the middle of the room.”
Liam lowered his head.
“It’s okay, Mom,” he whispered. “We can eat upstairs.”
“People are trying to enjoy dinner.”
I moved beside him and knelt.
“Look at me.”
He kept staring at his plate.
“Liam.”
His eyes lifted.
“Did you do anything wrong?”
His eyes lifted.
“I touched the chair.”
“And then?”
“I apologized.”
“Did the server say you were blocking anyone?”
“No.”
“Then you’re staying right here.”
“I apologized.”
I stood and pulled out my phone.
The woman frowned. “What are you doing?”
“I’m writing down exactly what you said before you try to change the story when someone important shows up.”
The woman folded her arms. “You’re turning one bumped chair into a public trial.”
I slipped my phone back into my bag. “No. I’m making sure you don’t make yourself the victim.”
“What are you doing?”
Ben stood beside me. “You’ve said enough. Step away from our son.”
His hands were shaking, and Liam noticed.
“Dad,” he said softly.
That single word stopped Ben faster than I could have.
I touched his arm. “Stay with him.”
“Step away from our son.”
Ben sat and moved closer to Liam, leaving me to face the woman.
A server hurried toward the entrance. Seconds later, Jeff appeared.
“What happened? Cindy, it’s lovely to see you,” he said, addressing the woman like she was a regular.
Cindy pointed at us before he reached the table. “They’ve been disrupting the room. The boy nearly struck me, and his mother started threatening me.”
“They’ve been disrupting the room.”
“I didn’t threaten you,” I said. “I wrote down your words.”
Jeff glanced at Liam. “Was anyone hurt?”
