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news?”
    Her lids shoot wide and if possible her eyes show
even more excitement. “Little news. Chrissie, I’m going to have a baby. A
little boy. After all these years with Len, we are starting a family.”
    I stare at her, that revelation stunning me. I
don’t know which is harder to get my head around. The thought of Linda being a
mother or that her stomach is washboard flat and somehow she thinks she knows
it’s a boy.
    “I can’t believe it, Linda. I’m so happy for
you.”
    Her smile is enormous. “Me, too. Do you want to
see him? I love to show Bobby’s picture, even though he is not really
officially ours yet.”
    Officially ours? Comprehension rolls over me and I blurt out, “You’re adopting. You and Len are
adopting a little boy?” Once I say the words, I regret them, because that
didn’t sound like the right response. She’s over the moon and my voice sounded
a little bit—I don’t know what.
    Thankfully, Linda didn’t seem to even take note
of my clumsiness in crafting a response.
    “Isn’t it wonderful? Len got cut long before we
were married. The damn man’s plumbing doesn’t work. So adoption was the only
way. We’ve been on the list forever. I didn’t think anyone would ever trust us
with a baby.” She makes a face, and I smile. “But they did. So we’re going to
be new moms together, Chrissie. Isn’t that wonderful?”
    She rummages through her bag and pulls out her
wallet, flipping it open. She shoves a picture beneath my face. 
    “Isn’t he beautiful?” she gushes.
    I stare at the picture of the baby, maybe two
months old, and my face lights up as well.
    “He’s adorable, Linda.”
    I’ve never seen Linda so happy. Her sudden
interest in wanting to be better friends with me makes sense now. New moms
together. In her own totally weird way, Linda is in nesting mode. And maybe
I’m the only one in her glitzy circle of friends that is soon to have a baby.
    My smile grows larger. “Kaley will already have a
friend when she gets here.”
    Linda nods enthusiastically. “Isn’t it cool? Sometimes
all the timing works out perfectly all on its own.”
    We sit for a while, Linda just staring dreamily
down at Bobby’s picture, but I’m trapped in thoughts I can’t seem to keep away.
    “How is Alan?” I quietly ask.
    Linda’s expression changes, not in a good way.
Her gaze locks on mine and I tense. She can be so intimidating.
    “I think we should have an understanding,
Chrissie, if we’re going to be friends. If you ask about Manny, expect an
honest answer from me. But if you don’t ask I won’t talk about him. I think
things will work better between us this way. He is a touchy subject for the
both of us.” She pauses to give me a stare full of meaning. “I’m your friend.
I’m his friend. I won’t ever lie to either of you about anything and in the
friend war, Manny will always win with me.”
    That turns my entire body crimson because there
is a lot in her voice when she says that.
    I meet her stare for stare. “Jeez, Linda. I only
asked how he is. I didn’t need that speech. I just want to know if Alan is
doing all right and it’s not like I can pick up the phone and talk to him. I
haven’t heard from him since the foundation party. I still care about him, OK?
I always will.”
    Linda arches a brow. “Aha.”
    My temper flares. “What the fuck does aha mean? I hate when you say that. And would you please stop staring at me that
way?”
    Her brown eyes grow more intense. “ Aha means grow up, Chrissie. Isn’t it time you learn how to manage your life
without a buffer? If you want to talk to Manny, pick up the phone and talk to
him.”
    Girl stare. Serious girl stare.
    Linda relents. “He’d take the call, Chrissie, if
you phoned him. He wants to hear from you.”
    She says that in her all-knowing way and my anger
is rapidly replaced by other emotions. How does she know that?
    “I can’t call him. Not after that thing with Neil
at my dad’s