“No.”
Nia folded her hands.
“Tell me what you mean.”
Meredith’s eyes narrowed.
“You are being unnecessarily confrontational.”
Interesting.
Nia’s voice had not risen.
She made a mental note she could not physically write without revealing too much.
Graham stepped closer.
“She isn’t trying to have an argument.”
Nia looked at him.
“She walked to my table and asked why I’m still sitting in my seat.”
“That is not what happened.”
“It is exactly what happened.”
Meredith looked toward nearby diners.
A few were watching now.
She disliked that.
Nia could see the moment public embarrassment entered the interaction.
“I know the management here.”
“That’s fine.”
“We have been customers since this restaurant opened.”
“That’s also fine.”
“I spend thousands of dollars here every month.”
Nia almost smiled.
“Congratulations.”
Graham exhaled.
That was probably the wrong response.
Meredith’s face changed.
“You think this is funny?”
“No.”
“You’re acting like I’m bothering you.”
“You are.”
Silence.
Several neighboring tables had stopped pretending not to listen.
A server named Jacob Bell appeared near the patio door.
Nia had interviewed no staff yet.
He did not know who she was.
He recognized Meredith.
That showed immediately.
“Mrs. Langford.”
“Finally.”
Meredith pointed toward Nia.
“Someone has put her at seventeen.”
Jacob looked at the reservation tablet.
“Ms. Freeman has a reservation.”
“I don’t care.”
Jacob froze.
That answer changed his posture.
Meredith continued.
“This is our table.”
Jacob glanced toward Graham.
Graham said nothing.
“Mrs. Langford, seventeen isn’t reserved specifically.”
“It always is when we’re here.”
“We can seat you at twenty-four.”
“I don’t want twenty-four.”
Nia watched.
This was useful evidence.
Not because Meredith was white and Nia Black.
Because an employee had now confirmed Nia’s legitimate seating and Meredith still believed her preference outranked it.
Jacob offered another table.
Meredith refused.
Then she said the sentence Nia later replayed dozens of times.
“Why are you making paying regulars uncomfortable over someone who probably won’t come back?”
Nia looked at her.
Jacob’s face tightened.
“Mrs. Langford.”
“What?”
Nia spoke.
“How would you know whether I’m coming back?”
Meredith waved one hand.
“I don’t.”
“Then why did you say it?”
“I said probably.”
“Based on?”
Meredith looked at Nia.
A second passed.
Two.
Too long.
“Because I’ve never seen you.”
Nia nodded.
“Have you seen everyone who eats here?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Again.
Nia leaned back.
“What did you mean?”
Graham stepped in.
“Enough.”
He looked toward Jacob.
“Can we just have another table?”
There.
Exit.