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time it had been this noisy in her living room. The television was on, Claire and Suzette were engaged in a heated debate over the president’s foreign policy, Jeffrey was refereeing, and Elle was changing the baby.
    “Mom,” Mya said into the phone. “Would you listen?”
    “What’s all that noise?”
    “There’s something I need to tell you.”
    “What are all these cars doing in front of your place?” Millicent asked.
    “You’re on my street?”
    “Are you having a party?”
    Mya had to plug one ear in order to hear. “Mom, don’t come inside yet.”
    “Just a sec. I need two hands to park.”
    “Mom, wait. Listen.”
    Static. Great, she’d laid the phone down.
    “Mom?”
    Silence.
    “Mother!”
    The line went dead mere seconds before Millicent burst into the house, smiling all around. “Why, it is a party.” She beamed at Jeffrey, and didn’t seem to notice that everyone except Kaylie had quieted. Talking to anyone who was listening, she said, “Who does Mya know who has a baby?”
    Her gaze found Elle, and her mouth dropped open.
    Suzette closed the door. And Claire caught the oversize red purse before it hit the floor.
    Somebody turned down the television, and Millicent traipsed forward, stopping a few feet in front of Elle, who looked shy suddenly.
    Mya said, “Mom, as I was trying to tell you—”
    “It’s you,” Millicent said.
    Looking from Elle to her mother, Mya said, “This is Elle Fletcher and Kaylie. Elle, this is—”
    “I’m your grandma. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you properly.” Millicent’s voice shook with emotion. “And this is Kaylie, you said? Hi, sweet thing!” Ducking down slightly in order to be at the baby’s eye level, she said, “It looks like somebody’s having a bad day.”
    Jeffrey said, “I checked her over. I think she’s cutting teeth.”
    Millicent straightened again, patting Elle’s arm. In a whisper loud enough to penetrate steel, she said, “Teething’s a bitch, isn’t it?”
    She let Jeffrey take her coat. Speaking to Mya on the way to retrieve her purse from Claire, she said, “A little forewarning would have been nice.”
    The chaos resumed while Mya was still holding the phone.
     
    “The last time I kissed a girl goodbye on the front porch, I was in the tenth grade.”
    Mya had to tip her head back in order to look into Jeff’s eyes. “At least this brings back fond memories.”
    “Not that fond. Any idea how long Eleanor plans to stay with you?”
    He called Elle by her full name. Not five minutes ago, Elle had referred to him as Minute Man, and Mya was pretty sure he’d overheard. Either he didn’t mind, or he wasn’t letting on. It was hard to tell with him.
    Mya’s mind was spinning. Claire and Suzette were two of the best friends Mya could ask for. Both had come over as soon as she’d called to tell them her daughter was here. Keeping the conversation lively, Suzette had gone off on one of her favorite tangents, insisting there was a reason all this was happening in Mya’s life at precisely this time. Evidently, it all had to do with Mercury conjoining Uranus, and not one but two black holes. Or did she say Pluto was retrograde and the moon was in Taurus? Which didn’t explain anything to Mya. She didn’t even know why she was thinking about Suzette, except that Suzette had been even livelier than usual tonight, sharing a plethora of knowledge of everything trivial all evening.
    “Did you know,” she’d asked Jeffrey, “that rubber bands last longer when refrigerated?”
    While poor Jeff was still struggling to find the relevance in that fascinating information, Elle had reached into her pocket and brought out a rubber band she’d found on the floor. Handing it to Suzette, she’d said, “Better put this in the fridge so we’re prepared for the imminent shortage.”
    Suzette wasn’t amused, but Claire, Millicent and Mya couldn’t help laughing. Jeffrey had looked at them as if they’d lost their