Peaches watched them for a moment, lying on their backs, side by side. She didn’t want to interrupt. They were teenagers, having fun. And Liam seemed cooler to her now. He was high and with a girl and not worrying about preparing for his AP Calculus test or picking his pimples. Was she a bad mother for feeling this way? At least he wasn’t home, wondering where his mother was, resenting her for not being there to fix him dinner. She slipped away and back up the hill, unnoticed.

Stuart had only just convinced Ted to take an early bath and put on his red plaid pajamas when the doorbell rang. Mandy was on the bed, painting her nails. A ham and mushroom quiche was in the oven. She’d already made garlic bread and kale Caesar salad. Tonight’s box was from Grandma’s House—stolen from the power-walking, knit-their-own-sweaters, two-woman couple across the street—and she was pretty sure it was going to be her favorite so far.

“Who’s that?” Mandy asked without looking up from her nails.

“I’ll go down and check,” Stuart said, and dashed out into the hallway.

Bitches got me jumpin’, I’m in distress

Balls are shrinking, got to clean up this mess!

The lyrics shouted themselves in Stuart’s head as he opened the wood-framed glass doors at the top of the stoop. A Blind Mice pin featuring a picture of Stuart’s mouse-tattooed fist was stuck to the collar of Peaches’ leather jacket and she was holding a pie.

She handed him the pie and pointed to the pin. “The mystery is gone. I decided to completely geek out on you. I’ve had this pin since sophomore year in college.”

Stuart knew he was supposed to feel flattered. Instead, he was simply bummed out. Why had she chosen to reveal her great, longtime fandom at this particular moment in time? To render herself harmless? To show him that she’d always loved him? To somehow align herself with him and Mandy? Her intentions weren’t clear. But then again, neither were his.

“You’re probably wondering why I asked you over here.” He hadn’t moved from the doorway. He hadn’t told Mandy that Peaches was coming. He hadn’t told Ted. It occurred to him that he didn’t even have to invite her in.

“Kinda,” Peaches admitted. “I’m pretty sure it’s not to announce to your wife that you’re leaving her.”

Stuart stared at her. She was blushing and there was a sort of terror in her eyes. He had all the power in this situation and he didn’t want it.

“No,” he said.

“You just wanted to hang out?”