Ayanna turned to Jane to say something banal like, “I could really use a cup of coffee,” but saw a tear streaking down her cheek. She felt the urge like she did with Olivia to wipe it away, but instead gently looped an arm through her friend’s. They walked down the street with linked arms. Jane cried a little more quietly, and Ayanna resolved to keep all her crying to the shower she would take when she got home tonight.

When Jane was done crying after two blocks, she turned to Ayanna and said, “Thank you.”

She wanted to respond with something nice or funny, but all her tired brain could think to say was, “Feel it, girl.” Luckily, Ayanna didn’t say that aloud or she would have run home in complete disgrace. Instead, she settled on squeezing Jane’s arm, trying to get the pressure she used on her own arms and shoulders when she felt deeply anxious.

It felt like luck that there was no line to the trendy breakfast. It was a blessing when the waitress immediately, without asking, plunked down four coffees, strong and with so much caffeine that Ayanna immediately sat up straight.

“You all look like you need something special. Not being rude here, just being direct,” the waitress said. She was an older woman who had dyed her hair crimson. When she spoke, all her a’s were short, nasal Michigan a’s, the kind where you could hear how Michigan’s ancestors had turned Grand Blanc from something regal, spoken with a kind of dignity, into something that sounded like Grand Blank, a name for a city, sure, but also ugly and hilarious.

“We need something profound,” Felix said. And that was another thing she liked about him. He was someone who didn’t mind playing around with people he didn’t know. Felix’s phone was put away. Everything he was doing and saying showed how he wanted to be there.

The waitress looked like she was genuinely thinking this through. “You have two options, then. Our homemade corned beef hash on top of smashed potatoes with a chili egg or our Dutch baby pancakes with maple-cider syrup and bacon. Everything else is delicious, but probably not right for your situation.”

“We’ll have two of each,” Felix said, and no one argued with him or asked to see the menu.