“I thought we were going to do the galleries on the first floor and then drinks in the garden?” Penny asked, confused by the sudden change of plans. All day long, she’d been her usual pleasant self. Alexa was relieved that she’d received a genuine hug, while Penny whispered in her ear, “I’m so happy to see you.” Then, their golden girl greeted the Widows with hugs and smiles, dishing on her work project and sharing in group jokes. She added facts and stories to their walking tour of the shops, galleries, and historic sights of Queens, leaving Chase’s name out of the details. The Widows made sure to heap praise on the neighborhoods they drove and walked through, exclaiming over the little two-family houses in Astoria as “charming” and “a great investment opportunity.” They oohed and aahed over the redeveloped streets with high-rise condos, the movie studios and trendy bars. Here and there, Penny pointed out the shops catering to the large Greek population with signs indicating “Greek spoken inside.” And they declared the entire borough to be “unexpected” and “the best part of the city.”

Alexa gave the group a look, worried they were laying on their enthusiasm for Queens a little too thick, but even she had to admit that Queens looked like a very nice place to live. After Penny led them to a taverna for a traditional Greek lunch of meatballs in egg and lemon sauce, lamb fricassee, country salad, stuffed peppers, and roasted tomatoes, Alexa could no longer deny her approval. “It’s like being in Athens. How wonderful. I think you would do fine here, if you and Chase come to an agreement.”

“That’s a big if,” Penny said softy, then her voiced turned playful. “But I told you that you would feel right at home in Astoria if you gave it a chance. Plus, the Greek cheeses here are better than the ones on Patmos. Did you taste the kefalotyri on the salata horiatiki?”

“Those are fighting words,” Alexa retorted in her native language.

Penny translated for the crowd and they all laughed.

It was like the old Penny, the pre-engagement Penny, was back. Maybe because she started the day in the hotel lobby with a declaration that it be free of conversation about the “breakup or the pause or whatever Chase wants to call it.” (Her snarky tone sent a chill through the California women.) But now, there was an edge in her voice, like she was suspicious of the rerouting. “Why are we stopping the tour now? We’ve only seen half the museum.”

“Well, you know Roxanne. Metabolism like a hummingbird. When’s she hangry, she’s hangry. We should have anticipated this,” Toots vamped. “She needs food now, right, Roxi?”