She would too. I smiled through my tears but shook my head as I texted, I’m fine. He’s a dick. It’s done. I’m just going to bed. I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow.

My phone buzzed again in my hand, but this time Greer was calling. Not really in the mood to pretend I was fine during the call, I hesitated a second. But then I picked up. This was Greer. I knew she was probably worried about me.

“Hey.”

“First off,” she said, “he is a dick. Forget about him. Any guy who claims to be a Shakespeare fan but hates Romeo and Juliet isn’t worth shit. Second, yay for tomorrow! You have to call me as soon as they give you that freaking editor’s office.”

I hated that Aaron’s mixed signals had dampened what was an important time in my life. “I will.”

“And third . . . so okay, I was going to wait to meet face-to-face to tell you this, but I think you need something to cheer you up right now.”

“Okay.”

“Evie, babe . . . you’re going to be an aunt!”

Trying to make the words make sense, I shook my head. “Uh . . . how . . . what? I don’t have . . .” I was an only child. Greer knew that.

“Oh my God, you’re slow tonight. I’m pregnant, Evie! Yay!”

I blinked in confusion. “Are you joking? To cheer me up?” Because Greer had told me more than once that she didn’t want kids. Or to get married. She’d been dating Andre for two years, but it was a very relaxed relationship.

“No!” Greer giggled. “Andre and I have been talking about it for a while and I’m thirty-four, I’m not getting any younger, and well . . . we decided to try. And I’m pregnant!”

Holy Mother of God.

Greer and I were two of six friends who had met at Northwestern and stayed in Chicago after college. Over the years, my friends had dropped like flies. First marriage, then kids, until the only times we saw one another were at their kids’ christenings and birthday parties, and once every couple of months for dinner when they found a babysitter.

The knowledge that Greer never wanted to settle down and have kids had made me think we wanted the same things and I wasn’t alone.

Now, my last friend standing was going down with the baby ship.

“That’s great!” I forced a happy tone and cursed myself for my utter selfishness. “What a surprise!”

“I was going to tell you at lunch on Saturday, but I thought you needed this news now.”