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“I know nothing about that,” he said. “Annie, this will be our last call, I suspect, for quite a while.”

Her stomach flipped. She liked this voice at the other end of the line. He knew as well as she did that she was being used. “Oh,” she said sadly.

She saw movement from the corner of her eye. Helen had looked up from changing Zach’s dirty diaper. “See you around, I guess.”

“See you on the other side, my dear,” he said and hung up.

“What’s the matter?” Helen asked as she picked Zach up and moved him to his crib.

“Nothing.” Annie shook her head. “Just…I’m not real great with change.”

“Who is?”

“Well, you,” Annie pointed out. “Your life is six kinds of crazy right now, and you handle everything with humor and grace.”

Helen rolled her eyes. “I cry every time I’m alone. It’s just that I’m hardly ever alone unless I’m in the shower.”

“Nothing wrong with crying.”

“Do you have to leave?” Helen asked.

Annie shook her head. “Not till Monday morning.”

Helen smiled. “Good.”

“I can get out of your way, though.” Annie threw the covers off and swung her legs to the floor. She felt suddenly self-conscious.

“I’m going to put the baby down for his morning nap,” Helen said. “But don’t go too far. There’s breakfast if you want it.”

Breakfast was leftover French toast, which Annie preferred cold to hot anyway. The syrup always ran off hot food, but when it was cold, it stuck, and Annie liked her food as sweet as possible. Helen sat with her at the kitchen table, watching her in silence, then asked, “What are you doing for New Year’s Eve?”

Annie wiped her mouth with a paper towel and shrugged. “Haven’t thought about it. I’ve been mostly trying to survive Christmas.”

“Sal’s having a party.”

“Sal has a lot of parties, seems like.” Annie stuck her fork into the last bite. It was so drenched in syrup that it dripped onto the plate, barely missing the table.

“Yeah,” Helen said. “That’s Sal for you.”

“Are you going? What about Bruce?”

“He’ll be in Vegas,” Helen said with a snort. “I can’t remember the last time Bruce Everton was in California for New Year’s.”

“Oh.”

“Will you come?”

“I guess. If I’m not working.”

“You don’t have to go in until Monday, I thought,” Helen pointed out.

“Right. I mean, I’m happy to go. I love Sal. It’s just…do you think it’s a good idea?”

“I think it’ll be fun,” Helen said firmly.

Annie knew she should say no. She knew she wouldn’t.

* * *