50 pages • 1 hour read
Jake becomes more sentimental with Tess and introduces her to his favorite bars and his friends. Tess is becoming more desensitized to the grittier aspects of living in New York City. She is thrilled when Simone invites her and Jake, as a couple, to her apartment for dinner.
At Simone’s apartment, Simone tells Tess about a ballet she went to with Howard. Jake begrudgingly accepts that Simone and Howard are friends. Simone talks about moving to New York City at age 22, just like Tess. Simone and Jake surprise Tess with a cake for her birthday.
Tess goes out with the other servers for the first time in a while. They all know about her and Jake. Simone goes on a fast to cleanse herself for spring, which puts her in a bad mood. When a former friend of hers—a woman named Samantha who used to be a server at the restaurant—requests Simone as her server, Simone refuses, but Howard insists.