“Oh, Mrs. Howell! You look so pretty tonight!” Mom gushed as her and dad’s account manager Mr. Howell arrived with his wife.

It was 7:33 p.m. and almost all the guests had arrived, except for Ethan. Mom had noticed my restlessness and had arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow, but I couldn’t very well tell her that I was worried about him meeting up with dad.

Nick was one of the first people to arrive and help with the last minute touch-ups. As a result of which, the entire ground floor of ...