For a moment, silence reigned over the table.
Aurora felt her chest tighten.
Mary's eyes widened in shock. "What?"
"They fired me," Adam continued, his voice calm but hollow. "Effective immediately."
Theodore dropped his spoon into his bowl, the clatter echoing in the silence.
"But why?" Mary pressed, disbelief written all over her face. "You've been with the repair shop for years. You're one of their most experienced employees—why would they fire you just like that?"
A glint flashed in Adam's eyes and he lowered his eyes,
"Downsizing. They said they had to let people go, and unfortunately, I was one of them."
Mary's lips parted in protest, but she didn't speak right away. Her fingers clenched the tablecloth as if trying to steady herself.
Aurora swallowed hard.
This wasn't supposed to happen.