“Matt,” Kimmie says, rolling her eyes. “Don’t be silly.”

“Well, Sophie has a playdate, so I’ll have to pick her up tonight,” I say. I figured that seeing Leslie would be good for her, especially now, so I called Maria to schedule something for today.

“You could still come and pick up Sophie a bit later,” Kimmie says. “We’re gonna eat early anyway. And Darryl’s coming, too.”

“I’ll make the reservation for five people,” Mrs. Reid says without even turning away from her canvas.

I try to let out a small smile, but my face feels a little stiff. I haven’t been smiling much lately. “All right.”

The clock on the wall only marks nine thirty, but I know Sophie and I will have to start getting ready soon so I can drop her off at Maria’s before heading to the bodega. Now that we’re all the way uptown, the long commute is one of the things that makes me miss living at Jorge’s the most.

I keep track of the time during my entire shift. I try to put off leaving for dinner with Kimmie and her parents as much as possible, until I finally have to accept that if I don’t head out soon, I’m gonna be late. I thank Erika a million times for covering for me, but she doesn’t seem to mind.

I’ve never been to the Red Lobster before, so I’m not really sure what to expect. When we walk in, the first thing I notice is a tank full of live lobsters near the entrance, and I tell myself that I will not, under any circumstances, eat lobster tonight—not that I would’ve gotten something as expensive as that anyway.

The hostess takes us to our booth. There’s a little plaque that reads RESERVED on our table, but it’s not like we needed it anyway. All the booths around us are empty.

Mr. and Mrs. Reid take one side of the booth, while Darryl, Kimmie, and I squeeze into the other.

“You kids can order anything you want,” Mr. Reid says as he picks up his menu, which brings a little relief to my chest. I wasn’t entirely sure that Mr. and Mrs. Reid would offer to pay for my food, so before leaving the apartment earlier, I put a twenty in my pocket and told myself that I would just order an appetizer and say I wasn’t too hungry.

“My parents love the Red Lobster,” Kimmie says to me and Darryl.

“Who wouldn’t?” Mrs. Reid says, her face hidden behind her own menu.