“Then you pick up the damn phone. You don’t have to be in your house to talk to her. Two decades ago, there was this invention called a mobile phone. I’m sure you can use Sheryl and Kristin’s apartment if you want some privacy. Besides, she wouldn’t just call. She would let you know first. Camille has been on a long journey and is probably suffering from jet lag right now. Give her some time to recover. And come out with us. I can probably sneak in some booze if it would make you feel any better.”

“Fine.”

“To the booze or to coming out?” Caitlin asks.

“Both,” I say.

The open mic is a Josephine Greenwood special, for which everyone has turned up, it seems. Or perhaps Caitlin has drummed up all the others for moral support in dealing with me. Micky gives me the kind of hug I’ve never received from her before and Amber looks at me with something that feels like pity in her glance.

“I thought the idea was to cheer me up,” I whisper to Caitlin. “What’s with the funeral vibe?”

“They don’t know how to behave around you,” she says. “I’ll sort them out.”

Caitlin James. My savior. It’s as though she’s turned into the big sister who always has my back.

Josephine is getting ready on the stage. Kristin introduces her, although no one present here still needs to be introduced to Josephine Greenwood. Every single person has come to hear her sing. Now that they still can in this intimate setting. Kristin has to hire an extra barista for these monthly events, which keep increasing in audience size as word has spread about Josephine’s voice.

I can still remember the first time I heard her sing, when she flabbergasted us all with the intensity and sheer beauty of her voice. In that sense, it’s not a chore to come here. By the time I take my seat, I’m glad Caitlin convinced me. Being near my friends is better than staying at home and waiting for news from Camille. I’m a grown woman. I shouldn’t be waiting by the phone like that. Perhaps I shouldn’t have gone and fallen in love with a French woman passing through either, but there you have it.