That evening, when Caroline walked into her favorite restaurant, hand-in-hand with her beloved, she gripped his fingers as though he were her lifeline. She led him to their usual booth, on time for once, and ordered iced tea from the waiter who stood nearby. Victor eyed the ladies, and she wondered what he saw as he asked for the same drink as her. The group arrayed around the table seemed mostly as familiar to her as her own face in the mirror, but apart from Maggie, her shy boyfriend knew none of them.
“Hi, everyone,” Caroline exclaimed, waving to her friends.
“Hi,” the other ladies chorused. Caroline regarded the circle of friends. Sophie brought her kids this time. Nice. Maybe without Jessica and her dirty comments, Sophie feels better about having them here. She smiled at nine-year-
