At home, to distract herself, Grace began to prepare a tuna salad with apple chopped into small pieces, celery, and almonds, and she was surprised when Hannah stepped into the kitchen, her hair rumpled, as if she’d been lying down.

“You’re home. I thought you were at work or at Max’s.” Grace pulled out a chair for Hannah.

“I needed time alone,” Hannah said. She strode to the fridge, took down the cookie jar, and set it with a thump on the kitchen table. “I’m craving something sweet.”

Hannah usually said “no” to cookies. “Is something wrong?”

Hannah settled into a chair, lifted the lid from the jar, drew out a cookie, and waved it like a baton. “Yes. Something’s wrong. I gave Max that address where Zachary plays cards, and he tore it up. Said he wasn’t about to interfere in whatever Zachary’s doing, which pretty much leaves things as they are.”

Hannah replaced the lid on the jar. “Max and Zachary barely talk. Sarina’s depressed, and who can blame the girl? Fate’s handed her a sorry situation. Max and I have lost our wonderful Saturdays alone, and I’m feeling down. I’m going to eat away my depression, and I’m fed up to my ears with Amelia.”

Grace covered the bowl of salad, placed it in the fridge, and joined Hannah at the table. “Look at me. What’s Amelia got to do with this?”

Hannah shrugged, finished a cookie, and took another. “Amelia left her umbrella open on the porch again. If I’ve asked her once, I’ve asked her a thousand times to shake it off good and put it in the umbrella stand.”

“Hannah, really. How important can that be?”

“It’ll blow away in a strong wind. She’s so irresponsible.”

“I don’t believe Amelia’s umbrella and whether it blows away or not matters a wit to you.”

Hannah dropped her head into her hands for a moment before looking deeply into Grace’s eyes. “You’re right, it doesn’t. I’m on edge these days. I want Max to take action, to bring whatever is going on with Zachary to a head. Everything bothers me. Our lives, Max’s and mine, have been turned upside down.”

“Did you ever consider that Max is afraid to confront his son, afraid that Zachary will drag that poor wife of his off to God knows where? It seems to me Max is thrilled to have the baby born here.”

“Too thrilled.”

Compared to the things Grace had just heard at the counselor’s office, this seemed petty, but she said, “Hannah, my dear friend, Sarina will have the baby, and Zachary will have to face reality. Things will change. Wait and see. It’s only a few weeks now until the baby comes.”