There was a pause. “She said he opened a bottle of her favorite whiskey, drank one shot, then put it away again. He’s worried about you and Hazel.”

Zoey stared out the window at the bright and sunny day, such a contrast to the atmosphere inside the house. She was worried about her and Hazel, too. And she was missing her best friend.

Hazel cranked up the volume on the music in her room upstairs. It was now at window-rattling levels. She was probably trying to bait Zoey into coming up there and telling her to turn it down, just to spark another argument. But she was out of luck, because Zoey didn’t have any fight left in her.

“Zoey? Did you hear me? Do you want me to come over? What’s all that noise in the background? Are you watching a movie?”

“No, don’t come over. I’m wrung out, and Hazel and I need to hash this out on our own. When she’s ready.” She stretched, then stood and took the coffee mug to the sink. “Thanks for calling, Vickie, but I have to go.”

She was good at fixing things, but repairing this particular mess could require skills she wasn’t sure she had.

“SITTING AT THE BAR on a Tuesday?” Finn O’Hearn slid onto the barstool next to Mike. “I’m surprised you came out of your house, now that you’re famous and all.”

“Famous?” He looked up from his dark beer to see his friend grinning. Mike groaned. He knew the story of what happened last week had made the rounds of their friends. They all knew Hazel had walked in on him and Zoey, and that Zoey had ghosted him ever since. But none of them had dared tease him about it yet. “I’m nowhere near ready to laugh about this, Finn.”

“Okay, but you gotta hand it to Hazel. She knows how to make a moment go viral.” Finn nodded at Kelly behind the bar, and she began pouring him a pint of Guinness. When it was done, she slid it across the bar.

“How’s our little Moira doing today?” she asked Finn.

Finn’s smile returned, wider than ever. “She’s brilliant, thanks. Still doesn’t want to sleep all night, or even half the night, but brilliant other than that.” He took a sip of his beer. “I sure hope she never gets mad enough to burn me and Bridget the way Hazel burned this guy.”

“I know, right? Hazel’s account has gone wild since she posted that.” Kelly wiped down the counter.

“Okay.” Mike sighed heavily. “You two are clearly looking for a reaction from me, but I have no freakin’ clue what you’re talking about.”