Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“Isn’t it strange how you came from one side of New York, and I came from the other, and here’s where we ended up?”
“New York takes us all in,” I say. “Gives us all second chances. A chance to reinvent ourselves.”
She sighs. “Wow, I like that. A chance to reinvent ourselves. Yes.”
I watch her as she’s focused on the city to my left. The skin on her cheeks looks so smooth, I long to reach out and run my knuckles down her face. She lifts her sunglasses up and sets them on top of her head. “I did that the first time for sure. I moved away, and for the first time in my life, I wasn’t living in Katherine’s shadow. I came here as a paralegal. No one back in Boston would ever have thought I would end up as a paralegal. Katherine was the smart one. The organized one. But you know what?”
I’m rapt. I want to hear it. “What?”
“I’m a great paralegal. And you know what else?”
“Tell me.” I love the way the bridge of her nose wrinkles a little when she’s talking passionately. She’s so expressive. Her heart is out there, showing everyone who she is.
“I’m smart. And organized. And I’m a good sister. A good daughter. I’m just not Katherine, and I’m never going to be Katherine, and I’m okay with that.”
“I’m okay with that too,” I say.
She laughs. “I’m probably not making much sense. And I’m not looking for you to agree—”
“But I do agree.” I miss her so much. I want to pull her into my lap and bury my face in her neck. I know holding her will make me feel better. “You’re a good person, Lucy. And of course you’re smart and organized and all those other good things. I’ve never doubted it.”
As we stare at each other, both of us grin. I’m not sure what we’re smiling about. The New York summer? The sandwiches? The happiness that comes from being in each other’s company? I know that since I moved to New York, I haven’t been happier than I am when I’m with Lucy.
“How are you?” she asks, her voice tinged with concern. “Are you taking care of yourself?”
“Things are going well,” I reply and take another bite of sandwich to avoid getting into the nitty-gritty. I don’t need to hear about how I should be sleeping more or taking better care of myself. What’s important is the business is doing well. Clients are happy. Employees are productive. That’s what’s important.
Doesn’t mean I don’t miss her.
She smiles at me, watching me chew. “Tell me.”
I finish my bite, and Lucy seems happy to wait in silence. She shoots me a look like she knows I’m trying to avoid talking and she’s not going to let me get away with it. Our eyes lock as we both chew, and I chuckle at the ridiculousness of the situation.
Eventually, what seems like an hour and a half later, I swallow. I take a swig of my drink, but Lucy is already taking another bite. She’s not going to fill this silence for me.
She always was the most stubborn woman.
“The business is going well,” I say. “Our revenues are up ten percent year on year. I’ve got a pitch for a new client coming up this week. I’m all prepped for it. I’ve kind of honed those things now. Plus we have a track record that makes things easier.”
“That’s great,” she says, finally breaking her silence. “Sounds like you haven’t missed Ed at all. I always believed in you.”
Her words hang on my shoulders, heavy and unmoving.
She always believed in me? Of course she did. How could I have doubted it?
“I’ve tried not to disturb him on his honeymoon,” I say. The fact is, I haven’t needed to disturb him. We work closely together. I usually know what’s going on in his office and vice versa. There have been no surprises. Nothing crawling out of the woodwork that I didn’t expect. She nods, urging me to say more. “It’s not been as bad . . . like, things didn’t collapse when he left.”
Her smile doesn’t exactly say I told you so. It’s sympathetic. Caring. I’ve missed it.
“Maybe we’re both learning that how it was doesn’t mean it always has to be that way,” she says.
It’s been two weeks. It’s not like Ed has retired. “Maybe,” I say. “Anyway, Ed’s back on Monday.”
“You heard they got an offer accepted on a house?”
“Yeah. So they’ll be caught up with that soon,” I reply. I just gotta keep on as I’m going. All the plates are spinning in the air. I’ve proven to myself, if I work hard enough, I can keep them spinning. I don’t want to give them an opportunity to drop. I can’t afford to take my eye off anything.