“This is extraordinary,” she said. “Stunning.”

*  *  *

The rest of the Merry Widows welcomed Abigail like a long-lost friend and Sarah like their own daughter. Alexa was touched, and she rarely felt touched. She had expected a more standoffish greeting, possibly on the side of cold and suspicious after the Widows had heard about Chase’s plans to force Penny to move to Queens. Frannie, who couldn’t hear well and assumed no one else could either, was always loud, a trait most people mistook for boisterous and friendly. The volume of her greeting startled Abigail. And that got a big laugh out of all the women.

After that, Toots, Roxanne, and Mitsy went out of their way to be convivial, maybe to coax more information out of the visitor when her guard was down. Regardless of the reason, the women circled Abigail with good cheer and another beautiful gift basket filled with Montecito products that she’d never be able to shove in her carry-on. Alexa made a mental note to offer to mail them when they got in the car to go home.

“I can’t seem to stop gaping at your beautiful house and gardens,” Abigail said, accepting a glass of white wine from Mignette, the server for the evening, who lived on the property and acted as a server/chauffeur/meal-delivery service. On nights when the private chef was off, it was always takeaway from Tre Lune. Tonight’s menu was a selection of coastal seafood, the special house salad, and the special house pasta. The usual for Toots. Abigail accepted a skewer of grilled scallops and exclaimed, “These look amazing!”

“Sarah, have you been enjoying your stay?” Roxanne asked, eschewing the skewers like she did almost every other morsel of food offered in her direction. She was determined to not slide soft and paunchy into life post-sixty and post-spouse.

“I would say so. Tell them about Lloyd, Sarah!” Ming interjected with such enthusiasm that Alexa cringed a bit. She waited to see if she would have to rescue Sarah, but she handled the query like a pro, used to communicating with parents from her coaching duties. She filled in the Widows about Lloyd, much to their delight.

Alexa was relieved. There was no judgment, only joy at the story of the scientist and the field hockey coach and their “immediate and epic” connection. Abigail, who Alexa suspected liked to keep the family’s private life private, seemed to be enjoying the interaction, which pleased Alexa. She wondered if Abigail had a circle of friends like the Widows. She hadn’t seen any evidence at the engagement party, only clusters of two or three women together. Maybe the female camaraderie was what Abigail needed more than anything. She was more relaxed now than Alexa had seen her in their short acquaintance.