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“I wanted to speak with my children first,” she said. “And he wanted to talk to Jon too, obviously. But . . . well, he makes me so happy, Cord. It’s been almost a year together and neither of us are spring chickens. We know what we want. But I wouldn’t want you to think I didn’t care about – ”

But Cordelia was throwing her arms around her mother. “Mom, that’s so great!”

“Is it?” Louise said, bemused.

“Come on, you know I got over all my Gary bullshit ages ago,” Cordelia said. “He’s a terrific guy who loves you and puts up with your crap.”

“Oh shush,” Louise said but she was beaming. “My god, I’ve been so nervous to tell you! Toby said I was being silly, but I was worried you’d be angry.”

“You told Toby first?” Cordelia said. “Okay, well, that makes me angry.” She grinned. “Aw, Mom. I’m really happy for you. Where’s the ring?” She looked at her mother’s hands.

“I don’t need a ring,” Louise said. “Rings aren’t important. The promise is enough.”

Cordelia’s grin tightened and she thought of the grass ring she still kept on her nightstand back home. She knew she should put it in a drawer, or throw it out, but she couldn’t bear to.

They spent the rest of lunch chatting about the meeting with Kate, and Louise’s new book club, leaving the topic of relationships behind. Cordelia wished she could believe her mother, that all it would take was a plane ride to London to tell Niall how she really felt. But she was sure he’d moved on. She bet there were girls falling all over themselves to date him. How could they not be? He was gorgeous, like Kate was always reminding her.

Later that evening, Cordelia headed out to meet the girls at Trailer Park. It was a small dive bar on 23rd Street, neon signs in the window, streamers hanging from the ceiling. The tables all had Formica tops and the seats were upholstered in colorful plastic. License plates and framed black-and-white photos hung on the walls. A bright red gas pump from the fifties stood at one end of the bar.

Liz and Meena were at a table in the back, a pitcher of margarita between them.

“Cordie!” Meena said, getting up to hug her. Meena had long glossy black hair and pale green eyes. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

“You look amazing,” Liz gushed. Cordelia immediately became suspicious.

“No I don’t,” she said, sliding into a chair as Meena poured her a margarita. “I look extremely regular.”

“You always look amazing,” Meena said, shooting Liz a sharp look.

“How was lunch with Louise?” Liz asked.

“Oh my god, you guys, guess what – Mom’s engaged.”

“What?” Liz shrieked as Meena cried, “No way!”

Cordelia told them the whole story, and at the end Liz raised her glass. “To Louise and Gary,” she said, “Who would have fucking guessed?”

“Me,” said Meena as they clinked their plastic cups together. “I totally called it.”

“You did not,” Liz said.

“I did! No offense, Cord, but your mom is a handful. Once they hit the six-month mark, I knew Gary was going to be around for the long haul.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “Sure, sure. Oh, Meena, tell Cordelia that story you were telling me about that client who tried to hit on you.”

Meena worked for a high-powered defense firm – usually dealing with corporate assholes accused of embezzlement and things like that.

“What happened?” Cordelia asked. Meena launched into a tale of a seventy-five-year-old guy who kept calling her honey and said she looked “exotic”.

“Ewwww,” Cordelia said.

“Right?” Liz agreed. She glanced up and her eyes went wide. “Look, Meena, isn’t that Jeremy from your office?”

Cordelia turned and saw a man walking up to their table, dressed in a suit, his brown hair slicked back on one side.

“Hey,” he said.

“Jeremy,” Meena said. “So glad you could join us.”