But we ate everything.
Afterward, Daniel put the plates in the sink and sat across from us at the kitchen table.
For several seconds, he seemed unable to find the right words.
Then he looked at me.
“I want you to understand something.”
I nodded.
“I am not suddenly okay with everything.”
“I know.”
“I’m still getting used to it. Sometimes I think about the fact that my best friend is dating my mother, and my brain refuses to cooperate.”
Karen covered her face with one hand.
“Daniel.”
“What? It’s true.”
I laughed nervously.
He continued.
“But I also know that Mom has been happier in the last few months than I’ve seen her in years.”
Karen’s eyes filled.
“And I know you, Alex. I’ve known you since we were teenagers. You’re an idiot in approximately six hundred different ways, but you’re not cruel.”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
