“Mmm. I think I’m just going to meet up with a bunch of people near the beach in Santa Monica, maybe get drinks at Shutters, and then walk across the street to the Ivy.”

“Okay, so you’re going to be at the beach—cool.” He seemed relieved. “You know, you’re the best, Dani. I’ll come by in the morning and we’ll go to Viktor’s for breakfast, cool?”

“So you’re not going to church?” I asked.

Dave was Catholic and his spirituality was very important to him. When we first started dating he asked me if I had a problem with him being so religious, and of course I told him I didn’t. He tried to go to church most Sundays, and I respected his commitment to his heritage and faith, but secretly I couldn’t stand it when going to church interfered with our Sunday brunch plans.

“No, not tomorrow.”

“Cool. I love you,” I tried to say brightly, and clicked off.

I wondered if Dave might actually have been worried about my going out on my own on a Saturday night. Well, let him worry—it just proved that after almost two years, the relationship was still fresh, which was a good thing. I had no plans, but I didn’t want him to know that I couldn’t call anyone to get together because it was Saturday night and everyone was already booked up with their boyfriends. A guy doesn’t cancel on his girl on a Saturday. Bachelor parties are the rare exception.

I wondered again if he was going to call Amy, or try to—maybe she was visiting from Atlanta—and wondered if Dave would get it on with her, with no Mr. Softy in sight. But thinking this way was as murderous as eating a whole bowl of trans fats, so I told myself to put my paranoia out of my mind. I decided to follow Dave’s example and work that night. I had TiVo’d some specials on cable about forensic police work and an autopsy show on HBO. It was fascinating to see how the cops nabbed the bad guys. Never doubt the importance of one hair or a vaginal swab containing seminal fluid—any physical evidence can lead to catching the perpetrator.

So at 8 PM, I grabbed a beer and air-popped some popcorn and soaked it heavily with Molly McButter before settling in for a cozy night. Considering that Dave had bailed on me, this was the best I could do. I stared at the television as viscera and mayhem flickered past me. Cool.