Audrey hurried up the stairs of her brownstone building to the second floor and pushed open the unlocked door to Eve’s street-facing apartment. She had to put Winnie’s news aside for now and enjoy her time with Eve.

She had met Eve at a party freshman year in college. She was dancing with a group from her dorm, watching these three women dance on top of the trestle table in the center of the banquet hall, admiring their confidence. All of a sudden, one of them reached down and helped her onto the table, saying, “You’ve got good moves. You need to strut your stuff up here with me.” That was Eve, cajoling her to come out from the library when they were in college and graduate school, and now from the office. And it wasn’t that Eve didn’t work hard. She did.

Eve called out hello from the kitchen. A cozy curry smell beckoned. Audrey’s stomach growled. She slipped off her shoes in the hallway and joined Eve in the kitchen.

“You made it,” Eve said. “I was sure you’d have to cancel.”

“I didn’t want to disappoint you again,” Audrey said.

Eve’s curly black hair was pulled back from her forehead by a bright pink kerchief, which complemented her warm brown complexion. Eve was tall and thin, with toned arm muscles that Audrey envied—but not enough to do the required planks. Audrey smiled when she saw Eve was wearing a pink tank top that said “Bakers Gonna Bake.”

Audrey handed her the sunflowers. “For you. Thanks for cooking me dinner.”

“My favorite. Thanks.” Eve reached up to take down a vase from a shelf. Eve’s kitchen had open shelving stacked high with pans of all types, cookbooks, and glass containers filled with all varieties of sugars and flours.

“I think I just met our new neighbor.” Audrey filled the large blue vase with water.

“And? I was hoping some hot guy would move in next door.”

“I think you got your wish,” Audrey said wryly.

“A hot guy?” Eve smoothed her hands on her apron and raised her eyebrows.

“But he thinks dating in NY for guys is like shooting fish in a barrel.”

“He said that to you? What kind of conversation did you have?”

“No, he was on the phone with a friend who was just dumped,” Audrey said, arranging the flowers in a vase.

“Oh, I see. He must be really good-looking then.”

“Yes, but he knows it. So that makes him less attractive.” Or it should have.