*The Caruso Family*

Alecia pushed the glass door open and stepped out of the mall, the morning cool air hitting her as she adjusted the shopping bags in her hands. She had two—one in each hand—while her friends, Vanessa and Kim, carried their own, all of them filled with new clothes, shoes, and whatever else they had convinced themselves they needed.

“This was a good shop,” Kim said, balancing her bags as they walked across the parking lot. “I needed this after the rough week I ...