“Dad, I’m not a lawyer anymore,” said Joey, prickly at the cavalier way her father sometimes treated her art—as if it was a hobby, as if she didn’t have the right to her high level of devotion.

“Now I’m hoping for some grandchildren,” said Scott, stamping out Joey’s hurt with another sensitive topic. “No pressure, kids, but of my best friends, I’m the last man standing.”

“Maybe you should have had more kids,” muttered Joey.

Grant put a hand on her thigh. “We’re working on it.”

“You are?” said Bea, at the same time Leo said, “Are you guys now?” in a calm, toneless voice, and Scott said, “Bravo!”

“We are?” said Joey tightly.

“Well, at some point. We’ve talked about this.”

“Yeah.” Joey did want kids. That was the thing. And every attendee over fifty at her shower had given her some variation of you’re not getting any younger. But she didn’t want that pressure. She wanted to nurture her art now. She needed to nurture her art first, and she needed everyone to back off.

Grant said, “You can do both. Art and kids.”

“Can we talk about this later?”

“I have to say, I disagree, Grant,” said Bea, and Joey eyed her mother in surprise. “It’s very difficult to care for your kids at the same time you’re creating. A painting requires all of a person. You have to be in a very specific zone.”

“That’s right,” said Joey slowly.

“You just don’t want to be called Grandma.” Scott chuckled.

“I won’t be Grandma,” said Bea. “And none of those cutesy variations like Glamma. Nothing that starts with a G. I’ll be something nice, like Unicorn.”

“My kids are going to call you Unicorn?” asked Joey.

“Unicorn it will be.” Scott kissed Bea’s cheek. “I can hardly believe the whole gang’s together again.” Scott’s phone buzzed on the table. He checked it briefly and turned it over. “Well, minus a few players…”

“And plus one,” said Grant in a breezy way.

“The plus one is the most important one.” Scott walked back over to the grill.

“The plus one is definitely the most important one,” whispered Joey into his ear. She watched Leo watch them. She glanced down at the burger her father now put before her.

“To Grant.” Leo raised his beer. “To Grant and my old friend Joey. I’m honored to be here for your wedding.”

“We’re honored to have you here, Leo.” Scott finished doling out the burgers. “Now tell us everything that’s happened the last fifteen years, son.”

*  *  *

“A son!” said Scott. “You have a son, Leo. I can hardly believe it.”

Leo showed a picture on his phone of a kid with floppy blond hair, bright-blue eyes, and a toothy smile.

“He’s so cute, Leo, wow.” Scott flipped through the photos. “A lot of Rand, eh?”