I walk to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf before work. I sold my car before I met Tara, so being walking distance to work is crucial. Tara said she was going to buy me a car. So much for that. Maybe Paul will buy me a car when he sees me, out of guilt. He is probably still with his wife. He seems like the type to stay married out of “duty.” His once newborn baby is an adult now, around Bo’s age.

My heart skips a beat before I enter the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. I feel giddy, like I am in high school. I glance around the coffee shop for Paul but don’t see him. That’s okay. I’m confident I will see him soon.

I go up to the register and gaze at the menu. They have a bunch of blended drinks in all sorts of flavors: vanilla, black forest, caramel, chai. Ariana Grande is blasting. I don’t know the song, but I recognize her voice. Tara loved Ariana Grande, who she called “Ari.” At first I didn’t get it. “Ari” looks like a plastic baby, and her songs sound like bubble gum. But I like bubble gum, and the girl can sing.

I bob my head to the song until it’s my turn to order. I get a caramel blended drink with whipped cream. I worry for a second about all the calories, then shrug it off. I deserve a treat. I burn a lot of calories at the Blind Pig anyway. My weight is never something I’ve thought too much about. Most of it goes to my boobs anyway.

The drink tastes just as amazing as it looks. I sip it hard and get a little brain freeze. As I walk to find a seat, I see someone I recognize, and it isn’t Paul.

“Hi, Dawn.” Tara is seated in a leather chair with a young-er-looking woman perched on the arm. Tara smiles wide, as though she is thrilled to see me, or thrilled I am seeing her, seated close to a young girl with perky breasts.

“Hi, Tara,” I say. I stand tall to show I am neither threatened nor jealous, even though I am both.

“This is Blair,” she says, gesturing toward the girl on the chair’s arm. The girl must weigh less than 110 pounds. She looks like a baby, like Ariana Grande.

“Hi, Blair,” I say. I sip my drink. What kind of name is Blair? It sounds like a boy’s name.

“Hi,” she says with a sort of breathy giggle.

I am tempted to pour my iced caramel blended drink on her head.

“We should probably get going,” Tara says. “We’re seeing a movie at three.”