“I’m not doing anything, Ash.”

“Why can’t you let yourself be happy?”

I feel my cheeks getting hot. I put the blush down.

“So should I tell Mia Corner Pub?”

“Yeah,” she says, blotting her lips. “Ready?”

“One sec,” I say, spinning like Wonder Woman until I’m so dizzy, I can’t remember my problems. “Ready! Let’s go.”

—

The Corner Pub isn’t so bad. They’ve got up holiday decorations. Tinsel and snowflakes and stars and pinecones. Colored lights strung everywhere. There’s clunky furniture, wood paneling, neon signs, a jukebox. Peanut shells on the floor. There are billiard tables in the back, Skee-Ball and darts downstairs. The drinks are cheap and come with a ticket for a free personal pizza. Only a dollar if you want to add pepperoni, which I will.

“How come we don’t come here more often?” I ask.

“Because you’re too snobby!” Ash says.

She orders us whiskey sours. Ash loves a whiskey sour. Any drink that comes with a cherry, really.

Mia arrives shortly after us. She’s got on a full face of makeup, nails done, her long blond hair blown out in perfect beach waves. Her dress is essentially sheer. She’s a walking anatomy lesson, and everyone in the bar wants to study.

“You want shots?” she asks. She gives us no time to answer. “Yeah, let’s do shots.”

She orders us tequila shots.

If I could get drunk, I’d say this was a recipe for disaster. But I can’t, so . . .

We lick salt off the back of our hands and take the shots. We suck the lime wedges and wince.

“I needed this,” Ash says. “I haven’t been out out in forever. Not since before Luca, I think.”

“What?” I ask, the tequila burn lingering in my throat. “Really?”

Mia shoots me a horrified look.

“It’s crazy. Time goes by so fast. Just gets away from you. Your whole life changes like that.” She punctuates with a snap. “Don’t get me wrong. I love being a mom. I love Luca. He’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”

I shrug. “I’m not one of those mom shamers. You can be honest. If you wanted to lock yourself in a closet or scream into a pillow, I’m not clutching my pearls.”

“No judgment here,” Mia says, though her face says different.

“I do have my moments. But I wouldn’t trade it. I’m always laughing. With Seth, with Luca. Even if they’re driving me up the wall, making a mess. They’re also making me laugh.”

I down my whiskey and signal the bartender for another.

“I know you guys like your freedom,” Ash says. “I think Scarlett does, too. She’s just not as outspoken about it. But I don’t see being a wife and mother as, like, sacrificing freedom. Yes, I make sacrifices, but I’m also getting things in return. From my partnership with Seth. From my relationship with my son. I know you’re looking at me, thinking, ‘Oh, my God, she hasn’t been out to a bar in years, and she likes to stay home and clean,’ and you think it’s sad and scary—”