“Yes, you know. Tits up. Pear shaped. Awry. I expected adult life to be long stretches of mastery, occasionally interrupted by a steep learning curve of chaos and excitement, but I learned recently it’s the other way around.” She looked at Laura and shrugged. “But what can you do?”

Laura narrowed her eyes. “You’re very philosophical.”

Nina looked around for the waitress. “Nah, I’m clutching at straws, like you. I’m simply older and more resigned to it.”

“To what?”

“To life.”

“You’re resigned to life?”

“Better than resigning from it. Things always basically work out, so I’m plodding along, trying not to spin my wheels pointlessly. Someone once told me that anxiety lives in the unknown future, depression lives in the unforgettable past, and peace lives in acceptance of the present moment.”

There was a long silence.

“I have no response to that,” said Laura, feeling more perplexed than ever.

“I didn’t, either,” said Nina. “Shall we get ice cream?”

THIRTY-SIX

When Nina dropped Laura back at home, it was still pretty light outside. She left her thrift store haul in her room and checked her email. Nothing from the work agency yet, which was a relief because she wasn’t entirely sure how she would handle a job, and a pain because eventually she was going to need more than the money she had saved. Sighing, she wandered into the garden. Polly wasn’t home yet, and there was no one on the patio. Then she heard the thwack thwack of a basketball, and went to see who was shooting hoops.

It was Bob, and as she came around the corner, he turned and smiled at her. Since their uncomfortable conversation, Laura had been telling herself it didn’t matter, that she barely knew him anyway, and she had way too much on her plate to even think of a relationship. But when he smiled at her, all of those sensible thoughts faded away to be replaced by the very real desire to kiss him again, and take it from there as far as it would go. And then shallowly wondering if he liked her braids.

“Hey there,” he said, wiping his forearm across his forehead. “I’m practicing.” He laughed and bounced the ball. “Trying to make it at least mildly challenging for you.”

Laura smiled, relieved that the air between them appeared to have cleared. What she didn’t know was that Bob had spent much of the previous day cursing himself for being so verbally clumsy. He’d replayed their conversation to his sister Roxy, and once she’d stopped making horrified noises and straight-up laughing, she’d advised him to stick to sports, gardening, and other safe subjects.