The woman strutted in like she owned the place, her nose in the air as though the diner’s modest décor was beneath her. Talking loudly into her phone, she sneered, “Yeah, I told you, babe, it’s just *some cheap place in the middle of nowhere.* No standards whatsoever.” Stephanie’s stomach twisted, but she kept calm.
Trailing behind her, her two kids—a pair of unrestrained whirlwinds—barreled into the diner, shouting and elbowing each other, oblivious to the discomfort they stirred. Their mother didn’t spare them a glance, too absorbed in her call, the phone pressed to her ear as she took a scornful look around.