Ah. Now Alexa saw why Caitlin asked her to cross state lines and brave the parking on Market Street on a perfect summer day to have lunch with her. It wasn’t to try to mend their friendship, or at least not entirely. It was for this.

Blue Inn was a boutique luxury hotel whose most expensive room went for more than one thousand dollars a night in the summer. There was no way Tyler had either the cash or the desire to take Zoe Butler-Gray to Blue Inn for any sort of rendezvous.

(But did he?)

No! Tyler’s idea of romance, in Alexa’s experience, was limited to the three-for-twelve flower specials at Shaw’s and, on a special occasion, pre-boxed chocolates from one of the downtown stores. He had never bothered even to put together a custom box at Simply Sweet.

She dignified this story with a raised eyebrow, no more, no less. Caitlin shifted in her seat and picked a crouton out of her salad, watching Alexa the whole time.

Alexa’s phone rang with an unfamiliar, local number. Normally she’d decline a call from an unknown number, but she had the urge to show Caitlin that she was busy and important. She answered.

“Alexa?” said the caller. “Hi, sorry, hi, my name is Sherri, my daughter Katie is friends with your sister. Morgan?”

“Okay,” said Alexa. Her mother had mentioned something about a new mother and daughter.

The woman, sounding flustered, went on to explain that she was looking for a babysitter for her daughter and someone on the Mom Squad group chat suggested that she try Alexa. Alexa thought, They let a newcomer on the Mom Squad group chat? As far as Alexa knew, the borders between the Mom Squad and the rest of the world were like those of Castro’s Cuba: closed until further notice.

Alexa turned away from Caitlin and said, “I don’t really babysit.” She wondered which of her mother’s misinformed friends had put forth her name.

“Oh, I see.” The woman sounded disappointed. “Okay, I’m sorry. It’s hard when you’re new to town, you know? To find all the stuff you had where you lived before. Especially as a single mom. Do you have any friends who might be interested?”

She could offer the babysitting job to Caitlin. Caitlin would probably take it, and she’d somehow make it look like she was doing Alexa a favor even as she got paid. Alexa thought about that and got mad. She thought about Tyler disembarking from his car in the parking lot of Blue Inn and got madder. She was even mad at the popover that came with her salad for being so good that without noticing she’d eaten the whole thing.