Molly Notkin's party: Joelle's overdose (iii)
Notkin secures Joelle’s veil for her during removal of the beaded coat and poncho, then lifts the veil slightly in a practiced two-finger gesture to deliver a double-cheek kiss that is sour with cigarettes and wine—Joelle never smokes when veiled—asking how Joelle got here and then without waiting for an answer offering her that odd kind of British-Columbian apple juice they’d found they both liked so
Context
The doorway greeting shows the veil's social choreography fully worked out between friends: Notkin has a "practiced two-finger gesture" for the kiss, and the aside "Joelle never smokes when veiled" implies a whole private rulebook of veiled living the text never bothers to spell out.