Locked Out Over the Same Coat

From the back cover

On Christmas Eve, Fiona Westfield visits her daughter Hannah and son-in-law Thomas Clifford, wearing a wool coat she chose for the occasion. Hannah shoves her back out the door, furious that the coat matches the one worn by Thomas's mother, Giselle Johnson, who hates being imitated. Thomas finds an old coat for Fiona to wear instead, and she yields to keep the peace.

At dinner, Giselle mocks the borrowed coat, then accuses Fiona of stealing twenty thousand dollars from its pockets. Thomas points out that only Fiona has worn the coat, and Hannah demands the money back. The Clifford relatives call Fiona a thief and a country bumpkin, and Hannah scolds her for ruining Christmas, though she had begged her mother to come.

Fiona insists she is innocent and tells them to call the police. Giselle refuses, blocking the door until the money is returned, while Hannah offers to pay Giselle back and urges Fiona to apologize. Fiona slaps her daughter, asking why Giselle's word is believed over her own mother's.