“Alice, I can honestly say I had nothing to do with it.”

“If you say so. All I know is that this is awesome.”

“When do you start?” Bette said with a smile.

“After the holidays. I have so much to do! I’ve got to find a new housesitter for my mother, find a new apartment, get some clothes, get my hair done…”

“Well. This calls for a celebration. I’m going to tell the others to get over here and we’ll celebrate. Tina will be here soon.”

Bette called Kit and Alice called Helena. Tina arrived soon after and listened to Alice tell the story all over again, with another round of hugs and congratulations. Then Kit and Helena arrived together, carrying presents, and the cycle repeated again. Bette just stood back and took it all in, watching her friends greet Tina, whom they hadn’t seen until today, exclaim over how good each thought the other looked and share a lot of laughs.

This is happiness, Bette thought. She was glad that while nothing could stay exactly the same with her friends, when they got together it was always this good. Most of the time, anyway.

They had just gathered closer to the tree to exchange gifts when Alice’s phone rang again.

“It’s Shane!” Alice cried. “Hello? Hey! Listen, I’m here with everyone. Yeah, Bette and Tina, too. I’m going to put you on speaker, hang on.”

“Hey,” Shane’s voice sounded as easy-going as ever. “I miss you guys. Sorry I couldn’t be there.”

There was a chorus of greetings in reply, and Alice’s voice piped up over the rest. “Shane, I have great news! Wait til you hear what I’ve got to tell you.”

“I think you’re going to want to hear what I have to say first, Al. You guys know I’m in Vegas, right?”

Affirmative replies followed.

“Guess who won a jackpot at the slot machines?”

“No way!” Alice shrieked. Everyone spoke at once, and Shane laughed at the other end of the phone.

“Yes, I won. $25,000. And Alice? I want you to have it.”

“Shane! I can’t let you do that.”

“Yes, you can, and you will. You’re my best friend. I know what you’ve been going through, and I want to help you get back on your feet.”