Jillian pushed Adam on the swing, back and forth, back and forth, the motion mesmerizing Allison, who’d had two glasses of wine. Big ones. They made wineglasses so big these days. Like cups of coffee. Like cars. Like houses. The Coxes were playing the Eagles now. How was it that she couldn’t remember if she’d fed the dog that morning, but she could remember every word to “Hotel California”? She poured milk in her tea until it was the exact shade she liked, not too milky, not too tea-y.

She ought to dye her hair for Annie Get Your Gun, she thought, noticing that Suzanne had no gray hair at all. Well, she didn’t either in her thirties. Not that she had so many now, but no one would mistake her for a young girl. Annie Oakley was supposed to be, what—seventeen? It was absurd casting a woman in her forties in the role. They’d postponed rehearsals for the duration, till they found a Frank. Maybe the show would never go up. All the better for her dignity, she supposed.

Elvis was singing “Love Me Tender.” Couples held one another. She looked around for Nick, but couldn’t find him in the dark. He must be playing host somewhere. Filling glasses. Piling plates with pineapple and poi. She felt bad for wondering. She grabbed Ted’s hand and kissed his knuckles. He squeezed her hand in return.

She felt bad, too, for turning Terrance away this evening. He’d stopped by earlier, as he often did, looking for company. She and Ted had discussed letting him stay for dinner, but in the end they agreed it would change the dynamic. “Come back tomorrow night, okay, Terrance?” she’d said, as kindly as she could, but she still felt mean. Little had she known that in marrying Ted, she’d be marrying his brother as well.

“Squirts for Squirts,” Suzanne said when Allison tuned back into the conversation.

“What’s that?” Allison said.

“Suzanne’s new business,” Grant said. “She’s an entrepreneur.”

“Nonviolent water toys: spitting tigers and spouting whales. You know. Not every mother wants her kid shooting an AK-47, even if it’s just filled with water. I’m hoping to have a plastic animal in every kid’s hand in this country by summer,” Suzanne said.