The scarlet packages are passed out and I place one in the bag for Vera and another for Tracy. We all eagerly open them and taste a cookie, exclaiming how wonderful they are.

“Elegant and perfect,” Laurie says. “Like you.”

“Elegant? You think I’m elegant?” Juliet replies.

“Not just elegant. I didn’t know you had it in you. You should do a TV show. Rachael Ray meets Dr. Ruth.”

The group laughs.

Juliet gets up and goes to the kitchen. I catch a glimpse of her back, her head sagging, one shoulder down, and follow her.

“What’s up?”

“I don’t know. It’s just … well, somehow making those cookies and thinking about my grandfather and Dan and Tom, and I don’t know what it is about this year, but it weighs.” Her words come out in quick whispers. “It all weighs so heavily,” she says again, and her shoulders slope. “I miss him.” She wets her lips, “But it’s not him. It’s the father I never had and the Dan I thought I was marrying, and the Tom I thought I might marry. And meanwhile it’s just me and my kids and my parceled-out life. And you.” She closes her eyes. “Always you. And my mom, of course, in assisted living. Still screeching at me.” As she speaks, she rolls the gold chain between her fingers.

“Who knew back when we were at that concert that you’d be where you are now, that Tara would be pregnant and Sky would be going through what she’s going through?” I check my watch. I was sure she would have called by now.

“That’s right!” Juliet taps her forehead. “I’m just thinking about myself. Sky hears about her test today. Too much going on.”

“Tonight you were a riot. On top of your game.”

“Maybe that’s what it all is. Just a game.”

And then Rosie enters. “Game? What game?”

Juliet and I shoot each other a look and Rosie says, “Oh. I interrupted.”

“We need to go back anyway. Who’s next?”

“Jeannie.” And then Rosie leaves.

I consider the irony of Jeannie going next and remember the raucous laughter that Juliet and Jeannie always share. Both are involved in triangles and neither one of them knows about the other’s situation. At least I don’t think that Jeannie has told Juliet. And I can’t imagine Juliet telling Jeannie about Tom. I turn to Juliet. “Let’s have dinner this week, or lunch? Just us. Maybe at the Roadhouse?”

“Of course.” And Juliet hugs me. “I love you,” she says.

“Me, too.”

“I felt like such a shit when Stephen was cheating on you. I was concerned you’d quit being my friend.”

“What? Quit being your friend?”

“That you’d start feeling, I don’t know, weird, strange since I was doing to someone what Stephen was doing to you.”