Eric squinted at Crystal, but he kept his peace. He knew that, because of the way Paul treated Nancy, her impression of Michelle would be bad no matter what he said. Now, he assumed that it would be impossible to build a case against Crystal’s prejudice with the way things were.

He picked up a cigarette, lit it, and took a couple of casual drag. He blew the smoke into the room, and when he saw Crystal frown, he realized that she did not like the smell of cigarette smoke. He smiled and said, “If you don’t like the smell, I can put it out…”

Crystal gave him a curious...