A CREST

I knew the worst part was coming now: telling my mother I no longer had a job. But there was no way to keep it secret—Carly almost certainly already knew.

What I tried to do to soften her anger was prepare a special dinner that night: chicken soufflé. And not just any soufflé—it was from a special recipe I’d gotten from the hotel cook months ago and never had time to make.

I put in maximum effort and finally set the table differently that night, even using candles in the ...