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with his sweet demeanor might qualify him as handsome—a good catch even—but to Alice, he was just Kevin. Although, she had to admit, it had been ages since she’d felt a spark of anything other than disdain for any man. Men had one purpose in her life, and beyond that, they were simply bodies that took up air and space.
    “Hey, Kev,” she smiled and walked past him, surveying Tess’s house. “Wow, the place looks great. I assume this is thanks to you,” she said.
    Kevin felt better the moment she walked in the door. Not having to shoulder the burden alone was reassuring. “I straightened up.” He pointed upstairs. “She’s sleeping.”
    Alice nodded and checked her watch, 8:17 P.M. “Well, it’s not exactly bedtime. Let’s wake her up and get her back on track.”
    “Do you think we should? She’s not exactly doing well.”
    “I’d imagine she’s not,” Alice said, matter-of-factly. “And how are you doing? He was your best friend,” she said kindly.
    “Good. I’m good,” he walked to the bottom of the stairs. “I miss him. I mean, every time I read my email, I look for one from him, but I think that will fade once they have the funeral. Closure, you know?”
    Alice nodded. “That’s exactly what I think is going on with Tess. Imagine suddenly losing the one person you’ve woken up to for years, the person you confided in. I can’t imagine,” she said, hoping she was convincing. The truth was Alice couldn’t imagine wanting to spend all that much time with anyone.
    Kevin swallowed the lump in his throat. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He followed Alice upstairs. Tess looked like a teenager, curled around Beau’s pillow and wearing his shirt.
    Alice walked over to the bed and crouched down. “Tess, honey, wake up.”
    Tess curled more tightly around the pillow.
    Alice shook Tess’s shoulder, “Tess? Come on, time to get up.”
    Tess’s eyes slowly opened. Alice? She turned her head and saw Kevin standing at the foot of her bed. She sat up, wanting nothing more than to lie back down and go to sleep.
    “You okay?” Kevin asked. “I asked Alice to come over, in case you wanted to talk.”
    Tess nodded.
    “Tess, you need to get up,” Alice said, as a mother might instruct a child. “It’s only eight, not bedtime. C’mon.” She tried to lift Tess to her feet, but Tess’s body went limp.
    “I don’t want to get up,” Tess said quietly.
    “You have to. C’mon, you have to get back to your life now. We’ll help you. Let’s go,” Alice’s voice left no room for negotiation.
    Kevin held Tess under one arm and Alice held the other. Together, they lifted her to her feet.
    “I can stand,” Tess shrugged them off. “I just don’t want to.”
    “We know,” Alice said, “but you have to. Now c’mon, let’s get you showered and back in the real world.” She guided Tess toward the bathroom, and looked over her shoulder at Kevin, nodding toward the bed.
    Kevin took the hint and made the bed.
    Alice came out of the bathroom giving more orders. “Good job, Kevin. Can you go downstairs and order some food? I don’t think she’s eaten in forever. I’ll get her dressed and be right down.”
    Kevin left the bedroom, again thankful that Alice was taking control. Chores he could handle, but women, well, they had a full range of unpredictable emotions with which he would rather not tangle.
     
    Tess poked at the sesame chicken and rice. She was cleaner than she’d been in weeks, and so, felt more awake. The house was clean, and for that Tess was thankful. It had become overwhelmingly dirty and in such disarray that she couldn’t fathom the idea of mustering the energy to set it right.
    “Thanks, you guys,” she said.
    “That’s what we’re here for,” Alice said easily.
    “Are you okay, Tess?” Kevin had asked her that a hundred times, but he didn’t know what else to ask. That’s what he wanted to know. Was she okay? Would she be able to break out of this lost