“I promised Julia I’d babysit.” Tina is one of the highest-grossing Realtors in Los Angeles, yet she’s also a doting grandmother. “She and Connor are going on one of those ridiculous babymoons. Nori and I never did anything like that when I was expecting.”

“None of us did.” The only indulgence Sherri had experienced when she was expecting Violet was a small shower arranged by Mitch’s stepmother and Tina.

“Just bring your CBD, practice your loving-kindness meditation, and text me every five minutes.”

Sherri actually wishes Tina could come for another reason. “Guess what?” she says. “I’m seeing Val.” Sherri found her on Facebook and sent a message. Val responded instantly, her reply typically curt. Yeah sure. Come by. We’ll rendezvous.

“Get out!”

“I’m flying into O’Hare, and Beloit is right on the way home. She’ll be my first stop.”

“Ooh, take pictures! God, just hearing her name still scares me to death. Sorry, gotta go, I’ve got another call coming through. A beauty on Tigertail in Brentwood. She wants to sell before another fire races up the ravine. Who wants to watch their life get destroyed at three o’clock in the morning?”

“Tell her to buy the apocalypse house.”

“Love you. Keep me updated.”

Sherri has to admit that Tina generally knows what’s good for her; it was Tina who’d sensed that the museum world would be a good fit and made sure she’d gotten hired before anyone in HR could see she was pregnant. The pay was terrible, and working the information desk was incredibly boring compared to the resort, but boredom was what she’d needed. It was a time for her to clean up and get her head back together. On her breaks she’d wander the galleries and visit paintings and sculptures the way she might visit friends. Never in her life had she seen art like that, from ancient pottery to Japanese woodprints to her favorite contemporary painting, Alex Katz’s Round Hill, featuring a bunch of friends lounging on a beach, some spacing out, one reading, others in conversation. It reminded her of the feeling of togetherness she’d shared with the other Bunnies at the resort.

When the market crash wiped out much of the museum’s endowment, Sherri was worried she’d lose her job after some of the top brass were let go. Then again, she worked in development, and they needed people who were good at raising money—and good at accounting for it. Sherri could do both. She was almost done with her finance degree after taking night classes at UCLA in tax, audit, financial accounting, managerial accounting, and business. Brian, her boss, told her that she was valuable because she could work a spreadsheet as well as a fundraising event.