Alice’s mind scrabbled for purchase. “But—how? I get periods.”

“They’re very irregular, Alice.”

“But—but—Mom only got the change a few years ago.”

“Does she have any sisters who went through early menopause?”

“She’s an only child.”

“On your father’s side?”

“Dad’s sister is still having periods at fifty-five. I can’t possibly be going through the change!”

Lacey clicked her mouse and quickly read something on her computer screen. “Besides painful intercourse and erratic periods have you had any other symptoms?”

“No!”

Something about Lacey’s expression made her ask, “Like what?”

“Fatigue, irritability, depression?”

Alice laughed and heard the manic edge. “I’ve had all of those things, because of a major relationship breakdown, online dating that makes me feel like a piece of meat and working four jobs to pay my bills. Not because I’m menopausal!”

“Have there been any occasions you’ve flown off the handle without warning and been surprised by your reaction?” Lacey asked, her tone worryingly sympathetic.

“My mother’s driving me nuts about my current life choices so those explosions are totally warranted.”

I’m not an idiot, Harry! Stick to fathering your own kids. She swallowed, not able to as easily dismiss her reaction to Harry’s comment about her Dear Alice column.

Lacey continued gently, “Do you suddenly get hot for no particular reason?”

It was like standing on an empty stage in a pool of light with nowhere to hide. On and off for months, she’d woken with her skin on fire, frantically kicking off the blankets and blaming her parents for overheating Pelican House. She’d taken to wearing light clothing at Summerhouse, because she thought they kept the building super hot so the oldies stayed warm. How she’d dripped sweat a few minutes earlier when she’d seen Tim in the paper.

“Oh God.” She dropped her head into her hands as the group of symptoms laid down one on top of the other like planks of wood, making a high stack. “I never made the connection.”

“And there’s no reason why you would. No one expects to go through menopause in their thirties.”

Alice looked up and tried to corral all the chaos into some sort of order. “When you say “early menopause” you mean perimenopause, right?” She had no idea where the word had come from—probably from the magazines Hilary gave her. “Thank God, I came to see you now while there’s still time to harvest some eggs.”

Lacey’s pen clicked. “I’m sorry, Alice.”