She looked at each of us, pausing for a moment, examining our faces.

“Really, though, are you okay? You seem a bit . . . off,” I said as I furrowed my brow.

“Of course,” she said, and smiled again. This time, her smile was warm and her tone familiar, full of the Liz that we all knew and loved. “I just wanted to dress up a little today.”

Melissa leaned in. “Nothing wrong with that. You look fantastic. Tim must have been thrilled.”

We looked over at Tim, who was still buried in his phone, not looking up once, in contrast to the rest of the husbands.

“Yo, we can still see you guys, you know. Try harder,” Jess called to them before they quickly looked away.

“When did you switch to vodka?” I asked Liz as I tapped her glass with my index finger. Her gaze was fixed in the direction of Emily, and I tapped her glass again to get her attention.

She finally turned toward me. “It was time for something new.” She met my eyes, unwavering. “Like if you volunteered to help at school.”

I lifted my brows in surprise. Liz usually wasn’t one for offhanded sarcastic comments. “Good one. I just know if I downed that much straight vodka, I wouldn’t be volunteering for anything, or walking straight,” I said with a laugh.

“Oh, girl, not in those heels, you wouldn’t.” Jess pointed to Liz’s.

Liz’s eyes narrowed as she looked down at Jess’s bare feet. “You should put on shoes. It’s vile.”

Jess shrank back and frowned, looking to Melissa and me for an explanation. For all of her bravado, Jess was a soft soul. I shook my head slightly in confusion and gave a tiny shrug.

Melissa cleared her throat and shifted, a deliberate movement to break the tension. Her gaze drifted over to a circle of our kids, leaning in and whispering conspiratorially. “Looks like the kids are planning something.”

Liz’s head turned slowly toward them, and a small smile appeared on her lips as Emily ran over from the group, her hair streaming behind her, her injury apparently forgotten.

“Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom,” she repeated until I held my palm up.

“Take a deep breath, and then start over,” I said.

“Mom,” she said as she panted. “Can you show everyone the baby bunnies in our backyard?” She pointed to the group of kids behind us, staring, waiting. “They’re so cute. Please, please, please . . .”

She continued her chorus of pleading until I nodded. “Sure.”

Emily turned and screamed, “She said yes! C’mon, guys!”