TWENTY TWOAnaya had to admit that Catie’s baby shower turned out more fabulous than she had expected. She had poured all her extra energy into the party in order to avoid thinking about Carl. And Jeff. The reality of life without Carl after the scene from the party store two weeks ago still hadn’t settled in her mind. She kept wondering when Carl would call, and then she would remember. How could I be so stupid?
She turned her focus back to the party. Selected for its view, the room in the Ritz Carlton was arranged in lounge style with half a dozen bar tables along the wall, each holding hors d’oeuvres including tiny chicken and waffle sliders, bacon-jalapeno deviled eggs, macaroni and cheese cups, crudités, and cucumber rounds. The five ten-person tables had beautiful centerpieces of pur
