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tomorrow."
    French cursing filled the air as my mother put her hand over her heart dramatically.
    Armande's cheeks pinkened. "Oh my," he murmured.
    My mother looked at him. "My dear friend, do you have any whiskey?"
    My mother followed Armande into a back room, then came back a second later with three glasses and a bottle of whiskey in her hands. She slumped into an overstuffed floral couch. Looking up at us, she offered up her glass in a silent toast and gulped the whiskey back.
    After the day I'd had, I knew the feeling.
    Ana poured herself half a glass and offered the bottle to me. I knelt in front of the glass coffee table and filled mine halfway. The phone rang in the background.
    "Mrs. Quinn?" Armande said, his hand covering the mouthpiece.
    The look on his face told me that half a glass of whiskey wasn't going to do me any good. I poured it to the rim, took a fortifying sip for good measure. Okay, two sips, but who was counting?
    I took the glass with me to pick up the phone.
    "There is a very hysterical woman on the phone asking for you," Armande whispered.
    I reached for the receiver, not sure what to expect. Who knew I was here? And why wouldn't they call my cell phone? I patted my pocket, suddenly realizing I'd left it in the truck. "Hello?"
    Sniffles echoed in the background. "Nina?"
    "Maria?" I whispered so my mother wouldn't hear. I glanced over my shoulder at her. She continued to slug courage from her glass. There was no need to worry her about this Nate business if there was no need.
    "What's wrong?" I hoped to heaven that fancy wax hadn't burned down her condo.
    "I shot him."
    My glass slipped from my hand.
    I heard my mother murmur something to Ana about me not being able to hold my liquor. I turned so they couldn't read my lips.
    "Nate?" I whispered. "You shot Nate?" His name practically stuck in my throat.
    "Good God, no." I heard more sniffling and a few hiccups. "The man."
    I rolled the phone cord around my finger. "What man?"
    "The man who broke into my house."
    Longingly, I looked at the whiskey staining the floor. "Call the cops," I said. "I'll be right there."

Four

    After dropping off my mother, I drove to Maria's condo, wondering the whole way who it was Maria had shot. I'd taken Ana with me mostly because after I told her what had happened, she'd refused to get out of my car and threatened to tell my mother I'd lied to her about why I had to leave the bridal shop in such a hurry.
    I pulled into a parking spot in the condo complex and looked around at the cops roaming the common areas; searching for clues, I assumed.
    Ana jumped out of my car, her eyes wide as Frisbees. Over the roof, she said, "There's Mike Loney. He's newly single, right?"
    I barely heard her. My eyes were glued to the front door of Maria's condo. Kevin was standing under the portico with Ginger Ho, er, Barlow, his partner—and lover. "I think so," I murmured, not wanting to stare at Kevin but not being able to help it. Ana followed my gaze. "Oh no."
    "It's okay. Really it is. I need to get used to seeing him out and about. It'll get easier once the divorce is final. Right?"
    She thumped her chest. "Am I supposed to know? 'Cuz you're looking at me like I'm supposed to know." I took a tentative step toward Maria's front door. Good, my knees held. "You are divorced."
    "Does that make me the expert? The Emily Post for screwups?"
    I sighed. When she went off on a tangent there was only one way to distract her. "Hottie at five o'clock. No ring." Ana spun, sashayed away.
    Kevin looked up as I approached. Talk about awkward. His eyes filled with a tenderness he had no right to possess since he was sleeping with someone else.
    Ginger hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "I'll go, uh—" She disappeared around the side of the building.
    "Hey," Kevin said to me.
    "Hey."
    Scintillating.
    "What're you doing here?" he asked.
    I was desperately trying to ignore the fact that he could still make my knees weak. I hated that about him. And