The Hazards of Sleeping Alone - Softcover

"Live together?" Charlotte had been Windexing the mirror and stopped, blue rivulets streaking down the glass. "Just the two of you?"

"Four of us. Walter, me, and a couple of friends."

"What friends?"

"Mara and Anthony," Emily says. "I don’t think you’ve met them. Ant’s the guy who climbed Mt. Kilaminjaro. He’s really fascinating."

Her words bounced off the tiled walls, as if mocking Charlotte’s tattered slippers, her bucket of cleaning supplies. Fascinating.

Emily sighed, an amused sigh. "It’s fine, Mom. It’ll be like one big happy family. I promise."

Charlotte felt a twinge between her eyes. Happy family: it sounded so incestuous, so 1960s. She wasn’t sure if this casual, communal environment made the living together better or worse. "I just—it’s just that you’re so young, honey." She wanted to sound wise, but instead felt like she always did when trying to give Emily relationship advice: unqualified. "And living together, well . . . that’s a big commitment."

"Mom." Emily’s tone was matter-of-fact. "We know living together is a big commitment. We’re not jumping into this blindly. Walter and I really love each other."

Charlotte was jolted into silence. How could she argue with this? It was very possible her twenty-two-year-old daughter knew more about loving a man than she did.