The server came back around and orders were placed. The food arrived and the table rearranged itself slightly as plates were distributed and the conversation continued over and around the eating.
It was James who circled back to Steven.
"Alright," he said, picking up his glass. "Your turn. And I want the actual version, not the summary."
"What do you want to know?" Steven said.
"Start with the past two years," Priya said. "Hannah said you were in Montrose the whole time."
"I was," Steven said. "Working at a restaurant. Waiting tables, mostly." He paused. "It was a difficult two years. The job was steady but the environment wasn't. The manager was the kind of person who made things hard for sport. I stayed longer than I should have because leaving without something to go to felt worse than staying."
"Did you leave eventually?" Marcus asked.
"Two weeks ago," Steven said. "Decided on the morning and walked out the same afternoon."
James raised his glass slightly. "Good."
