Well, what a day it was. I drive us home and the kids are asleep within minutes in the back seat as if they’ve been drugged and Sadee and I are kidnapping them to another province to start a new life while the real parents bemoan to the police that they only turned around for twenty seconds at the Game Palace, and when they looked back their children were gone. Sadee and I chit-chat pleasantly on the way and I finally make the turn into the driveway. They’re too old to be carryabble anymore so we wake them, endure the grumbles as they get to their feet, and lead them up directly to their beds. Lolly is my responsibility and when I say, “Sleep tight,” she mumbles something that doesn’t sound like English.

Sadee and I emerge into the hallway at the same time and exchange smiles.

“Care for a drink?” I ask, and she nods.

I go back downstairs and make our go-to ones: a hefty amount of Bordeaux in an elegant glass for her, and a double vodka and cran for me.

I’m sitting scrolling mindlessly through my phone when she joins me in the adjacent armchair, sighs into it, and picks up her wine.

“Thanks.”

“It’s a 2019,” I tell her, and her eyebrows go up and she hmmmmm’s approvingly.

We go silent as we savour our first sips. I sneak glances at her and, goddamn it, she still has the power to make me excited, “in that way,” as her father unaccountably always puts it. I can easily imagine why Shar is attracted to her. As I’ve told only my absolute best friends, every part of her is lickable.

“You mentioned this morning that you’re busy tonight,” I say.

She fumbles with the glass and nearly spills it before she lays it back down on the end table. Her explanation starts to be just as fumbly.

“Yes. Right. I got this— Well, I was thinking that I would— I mean, the girls—”

I interrupt her to spare us both this embarrassment. “It’s okay if it’s Shar.”

This makes her more awkward at first but in a few moments she just sinks back comfortably and picks up her glass again.

“Listen, Sadee,” I continue. “I meant what I said about accepting all of this. I’m not seething on the inside or anything like that. We can do this like adults.”

“Jesus, I don’t—thank you. Thank you for saying that. For being like this.”

I switch unconsciously to talk about the day and Lolly and Grady running around and laughing.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had that much energy in my whole life,” Sadee says.

“It must be great to be a kid,” I say. “They not only get days like today, and then get to have people tuck them in for God sake, but the rest of their lives they’re not concerned about planning meals or car payments or saving for retirement. Jesus. The bastards have it made.”

Sadee laughs. “Yeah, it must be great.” She pauses. “I don’t have words for the way you are handling this, or dealing with it, or whatever. It’s sad in a way but on the other hand it means a lot to me. Let me be straight—I mean, let me be clear with you, even just about tonight. Shar is a foodie like me and so we’re going to that new Chinese place out on Commonwealth Ave. The hot and sour soup is apparently to die for. Anyway, I—” She pauses again because all this is not as easy as she thought it might be. “Anyway, I think we’ll eat there and then go back to her place and chill out. I should be back by eleven.”

“You’re not my teenager,” I tell her. “I don’t need to know when you’re coming back home.”

She looks at me, sort of forlornly happy, and we hold that for a few seconds.

“Wear that royal blue top,” I tell her. “It looks great on you.”