“Oh, yes,” Cooper says. “I’m not sure if she ended up with Pablo. That was the guy her parents wanted her to marry. I haven’t heard from her in nearly twenty-five years.” He stabs a piece of steak with his fork. “It seems surreal that I could have stood at the altar at Roland Park Presbyterian and taken a lifelong vow to stay with someone and then that person and I split a few months later and I never see or hear from her again.”

Leland digs into her twice-baked potato. “I hate to say this but I can’t even remember who wife number four was. Did I meet her?”

“Tamela,” Coop says. “Poli sci professor at Georgetown. She had three teenagers that took up a lot of her time and energy. One was gender transitioning. Her first husband was killed in a highway crash, the kids were devastated, and they resented me. We eloped in Antigua. That was romantic, but then it was back to reality, and reality was challenging.”

“How long did that one last?” Jake asks. He can’t remember much about Tamela either. He does remember Coop eloping, because Ursula had been relieved to be spared another wedding, and Jake had felt robbed of a chance to see Mallory.

“Two and a half years,” Cooper says. “The irony is that I’m still in touch with the kids. They love me now.”

“Amy was nice,” Jake says. He met Amy at a Johns Hopkins alumni event in DC. She had kind brown eyes and a way of tilting her head to let you know she was really listening to you.

“That was the problem,” Coop says. “Amy was nice, sweet, accommodating, eager to please. There was no mystery, no intrigue, no edge.”

“And that’s what you’re attracted to?” Leland asks. “You fall in love with the edge? The crazy parts, the dangerous parts?”

“I’m not sure,” Coop says, draining his wine. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Coop,” Leland says. “I mean, this group isn’t exactly filled with spokespeople for successful relationships.”

Jake frowns at his plate. It’s true that he and Ursula are divorced—but that they stayed married for so long feels like a success. However, he would say his most successful relationship was the one he had with Mallory. He’s probably deluding himself.

“I notice nobody chose Krystel as his or her favorite,” Fray says.

Coop groans. “Krystel.” He whistles. “In some sense, Krystel is the reason we’re all here. Thirty years ago, when we did this the first time, Krystel called and demanded I come home.”

Oh yes, Jake remembers it well. He’s always wanted to send Krystel a thank-you card. It was because of Krystel that he and Mallory got together.