Allison “whooped” her delight, which drew an “Are you all right?” from Jillian, across the hall, in the kitchen.

They had decided to wait till tonight to try it. Anticipation about the evening would make it all the more exciting, Allison suggested—she was now quite well versed in these things—and Ted had agreed to take it after dinner the next night. Tonight.

This was good news. This was awesome news. And didn’t wishes come in threes? Her career was the next area that needed sprinkling with fairy dust. She looked skyward, waiting for the silvery dust to fall, turning her into a photographic sensation.

In the meantime, she was back to doing Christmas cards. She’d done a photo shoot with Lucy and her staff for Lucy’s one-page eco calendar yesterday, and now it was time for Nina Strauss’s session. Suzanne had agreed to come after all, and, together, they got Adam into his coat with the promise that he could watch the nature program over there. Allison pointed out Valeria’s house as they passed it.

“The one who’s in Europe . . . ?”

“Betraying me by having a life. She’s cheating on me with the city of Paris.” She mimed putting a knife to her heart, and twisting.

“You hear about all these people having affairs, but who are they, really? Do you know any of them?” Suzanne said, out of the blue.

Allison was caught short. Had she betrayed herself in some way, giving room for Suzanne to intuit that she had a teeny-tiny, off-limits crush on Nick Cox? Or was it a more pointed question? In fact, Allison wondered about Grant sometimes. He texted a lot when they took breaks at rehearsal. She didn’t think it was with Suzanne. Whoever texted him made him laugh, sometimes made him helpless with laughter.

Allison hadn’t mentioned Grant’s texting to Suzanne. She’d considered it, but it seemed petty, gossipy. On the other hand, what if he and Suzanne were having marital problems? What if one day Suzanne said, I think he’s seeing someone, and Allison were to say, He sure does text a lot at rehearsal. Allison would come out looking like a bad friend. She would wonder what else Allison might be hiding. Then again, Allison might bring up the texting without prompting, and Suzanne would tell her to back off. If I’d wanted your advice, I would have asked for it. Maybe she should put a note on Lucy’s bulletin board. That would give Suzanne a heads-up at least.

“What?” Suzanne said, eyeing her strangely.

She had a bad habit of acting out imagined conversations on her face. “Nothing.”

They parked at Nina’s split-level, pulling out Adam, lights, and cameras. Nina opened the front door before Allison had the chance to ring the doorbell.

Tonight, she thought with an excited shiver.

“This will have to be quick,” Nina said, letting them in.