Mr. Bay thought about the dinner and immediately said, “Ms. Jane, you’re an important patron to our association. Let us treat you to dinner tonight instead!”

Kathleen was well aware of the rules of socializing. One should be polite in accepting another’s favor whenever required, but reject firmly if deemed inappropriate.

Using a dinner invitation as an example, if the other party was just extending the invite as a courtesy, one should politely thank their kindness and reject firmly. Then, both