On the day of their flight, Rainy accidentally slept in. At ten past twelve, she tossed her carry-on into the truck’s passenger seat and raced to drop Shep off at Mr. Bean’s before setting off for the airport. They’d tried to get her to drive with them—the Tiger Mountain carpool—but she’d insisted that there wasn’t enough room for them all to sit comfortably in Ursa’s Jeep and that she’d meet them at the gate.

When she finally did make it to their gate, the plane was already boarding. The women were lingering around the gate, talking to the flight attendant, when she arrived, flustered and rosy-cheeked from her brisk walk over. Braithe embraced her in relief, while Ursa and Mac fussed over her. Tara, she noticed, glanced at her watch before reminding the girls they needed to board. High on the near-miss, they clambered down the walkway to the plane, recounting their morning to Rainy in code words and raised eyebrows. Mackenzie had had a pregnancy scare, but she’d taken a test in the airport bathroom, and no, she wasn’t, but what a morning. Their seats were all separate, and Rainy had to check her carry-on at the last minute due to lack of overhead space. But when they finally did take off, she felt oddly relaxed and ready.

For what? she asked herself as she closed her eyes and settled back into her seat. She slid a Xanax between her lips for good measure and tucked her AirPods into her ears. Before she knew it, they were landing, their plane bouncing happily along the runway like a puppy. They hauled their carry-ons to baggage claim, where the rest of them grabbed their oversize suitcases off the rack. Rainy looked down at her own tiny bag and temporarily panicked that she hadn’t brought enough, then consoled herself with the fact that the shopping in Vegas came as easily as the slots. A memory edged its way into her mind: she’d been a kid at the time, barely a teenager, and her mother had pulled her through this very airport, jogging, she was in such a hurry. And then she’d heard her mama ask for two tickets to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and her panic had gone into overdrive. Her grandparents? That was her mother’s big plan? But then her mother had vanished, leaving her alone in the airport.

Braithe snapped her fingers near Rainy’s face. “Hey! You okay? What are you doing?” She’d rolled her two bags, one big and one small, over to where Rainy was waiting, and her eyes were wide. “You, like, had this look on your face. I thought you were going to scream or cry.”

Rainy smiled at her weakly.

Braithe was wearing a white silk top and white pants, and somehow, even after the flight, she managed to look fresh.