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“I’m guessing your call with Rick didn’t go so well,” Morgan said, eyeing Charlie’s glass.

“Instead of asking me how I was doing, he spent most of the time trying to convince me to come home,” Charlie said.“He hasn’t had time to go to the market or wash his sheets.”Morgan crossed her arms in judgment.“I know I have to break up with him,” Charlie said, rubbing her temples.

“Needy is not sexy,” Abby said, taking the wine glass from Charlie.“Hey, I should sell T-shirts with that on it.”

“Charlie, you can’t keep saying you’re going to end it with Rick and do nothing.Just pull the plug and let it slip away,” Morgan said.

“It’s not that easy,” Charlie said.

“Yes, it is.Remember, I told you I’m great at break-ups,” Morgan said.

“That’s because you aren’t good at relationships,” Abby said.

“It’s a gift,” Morgan said.

Charlie drained her glass of wine and poured herself more.“Just when the words, ‘Rick, we’re done,’ are about to come out of my mouth, he says something sweet or brings me roses.”

“You don’t like roses,” Morgan said.

Charlie shrugged and nodded at the same time, looking like a bobblehead.“What if I end it, and he immediately finds someone else.”

“Then he’ll be that woman’s problem,” Morgan said.

“True, but what ifInever find someone else?”

“I was lucky I found my soulmate right away,” Abby said.

“How do you know Alex is your soulmate?”Morgan asked.“You’ve never dated anyone else.”

“I dated George Clooney in some of my dreams, but it didn’t work out,” Abby said to Morgan.“He was always away on a movie, so we didn’t get enough time together.”Abby turned to Charlie.“I’m sure you’d find someone else.You’re still relatively pretty.”

“I’m stillverypretty,” Charlie said.“But men seem to have an easier time finding their next relationship.You’ll see when Alex gets tired of you.”Charlie toasted Abby then drained her glass and began coughing.

“Ha!The wine is trying to kill you for being mean,” Abby said, putting her glass on the coffee table and closing her eyes again.“Alcohol makes me sleepy.”

Morgan went back into Carla’s office.Charlie grabbed her wine glass and the bottle and followed her.Morgan sat on the floor in front of the desk, opened a file drawer, and pulled out a bunch of folders.

“What are you looking for?”Charlie asked.

“Anything that explains why mom killed herself,” Morgan said.As she looked through the papers inside, she fed them into the paper shredder, which munched on them purposefully.

“Are you sure none of those are important?”Charlie asked.

“Not unless you want to keep Albert’s diploma from obedience school.He failed the first two times.”Morgan dropped the paper into the shredder; the sound of it being destroyed somehow comforted her.She held a piece of paper out toward Charlie.“Do you need your vaccination record to enter elementary school?”

Charlie dropped the paper into the shredder and then sat in the chair facing the computer.She picked up her glass and took a drink.“Does it bother you that I drink in front of you?”

“I had to get used to that a long time ago.”

Charlie nodded.“Hey, why is the ‘A’ trying to escape from the keyboard?”she asked.

“I couldn’t figure out the password for Mom’s computer,” Morgan said as if that was explanation enough.

Twenty minutes later, Abby walked in, yawning.

“Thanks for joining us, Sleeping Beauty,” Morgan said.

“Give me a break.I never get to nap.I feel like a lady of leisure,” Abby said.