Brooke smiled and said it would be good for Clare to get out of the house, to feel normal for a change. Clare didn’t argue. She told herself she was imagining the heaviness in her body, the way her thoughts sometimes lagged half a second behind her intentions. Stress, she thought. A long year catching up to her. Tonight would be easy. Familiar. Safe.
The restaurant overlooked the city, all glass and warm light, the kind of place that made you lower your voice without being asked. Daniel held the door for her. Eleanor walked ahead with practiced confidence. Brooke followed close behind, already comfortable in the rhythm of the group.