"I'd love to, thanks."
We settled down on the couch, spending the next hour trading stories about being a mom of teens. We finished laughing about something her precocious older daughter had done, and she sat back, looking at me with an expression I couldn't quite read.
"What."
"Can I tell you something?"
"Sure." My good mood evaporated, replaced by nervous flutters, so I took a fortifying sip of wine.
"I just wanted to say thank you."
"For?"
"Putting a smile back on my sister's face. I can't remember the last time I've seen her like this. I'm not sure I ever have. No, wait, that's not quite true. The first time she fell in love."
I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, and I looked down into my wine glass. "I don't think..."
"I do. She was a freshman in high school." She sat b
