“It’s not all the questions. I’m just—well, something made me realize how long it’s been since you hung out with Caitlin and Destiny.” It’s really too bad, what happened with Alexa and her friends, Esther had said, as if she knew something Rebecca didn’t. “And I want to make sure everything’s okay.” If she’d been more on the ball, if she hadn’t been wrapped up in Daniel and worried about Morgan, she would have picked up on this a long time ago. It vexed her that it had taken Esther’s pressing to force her to bring up the topic.

“Everything’s fine. Everything’s better than fine. People change in the course of high school. Isn’t that what you’re always telling me? That it’s okay to grow and change? Evolve. We’re just not as close anymore.”

Rebecca did say that it was okay for people to evolve, and she believed it. But she remembered Esther’s face at Plum Island Grille, her smug, knowing smile, and she kept on. “But the three of you used to be so sweet together. You were like Betsy, Tacy, and Tib!”

“Like who?” Alexa was taking very tiny bites of her toast (did she have an eating disorder? Rebecca wondered) and rubbing her earlobe with her other hand (or a touch of OCD?).

“Betsy, Tacy, and Tib. The books? About the three little girls?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Did I never read those to you?”

“No.”

“Are you sure? That’s a travesty. Practically a crime.”

“If you did, I don’t remember.” Bernice heaved herself to her feet (paws) and moved to another part of the kitchen, as though this discussion of desiccated friendship was irritating her. Alexa took a bigger bite of her toast and said, “Anyway, I have other friends. I’ve got plenty going on. So don’t worry. I’m not pathetic and alone.”

“I’m not worried,” said Rebecca. She was worried, of course—she was always worried about something. (What did Alexa have going on?)

“Do you mind if we go right now?” asked Alexa. “I have some things I need to do later.”

At the service station, after she’d arranged with the owner to call her when the work on the Acura was complete, Rebecca saw the young man who was pumping gas looking sidelong at Alexa from under the brim of his hat. Alexa, a foot on the dash, scrolling through Instagram, noticed him while pretending not to notice. Stop looking at her! Rebecca wanted to cry. That is my little girl, and you have no right.