Tzipi laughed. "That's a lot of observations for one night."
"It was a very memorable night."
"It was a disaster."
"The best kind." He cupped her face. "For the record? I don't think it's crazy. I think it's terrifying and probably too fast and definitely not how normal people do this. But I don't care. If you want to stay, stay. If you need to go back to LA first and think about it, do that. But Tzipi? " His thumb brushed her cheek. "I want you here. However that looks."
"What if we're just caught up in the adrenaline? The lies and the drama and the…"
"Then we'll figure it out." He kissed her forehead. "Together. That's the point of together, right? Figuring shit out?"
She leaned into him, letting his certainty anchor her. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay, I'll stay. At least through Hanukkah. Maybe longer. We'll see."
"We'll see," Jonah echoed, grinning. "I can work with that."
He stood, stretching. "Come on. We've been staring at documents forever. And your sister’s plane lands in three hours. Let's get out of here."
"And go where?"
"I don't know. Walk around. Let me show you my neighborhood.” He held out his hand. "You're in New York. Might as well see it."
They bundled up – Jonah in his winter coat, Tzipi in Kara's borrowed cashmere –and headed out into the sunny Manhattan afternoon.
Tomorrow, they'd face Rob. Tomorrow, they'd deal with the fallout.
But today? Today was just them. Walking through Murray Hill. Stealing kisses on street corners. Being normal.
Being real.
Finally.
Chapter Twenty-Six
DR AND MRS. ACKERMAN
It was Tzipi’s turn to play chauffeur, and Jonah to drive the getaway car. Well, getaway Jeep. She stood in Newark airport, on her tiptoes, waiting to greet Kara and Shel. With a handmade sign.
She caught sight of a couple wearing colorful leis, and her stomach dropped to her toes.
She'd spent the entire ride down the Turnpike, her hand in Jonah’s, rehearsing what she'd say. How she'd explain. How she'd apologize for signing away Kara's name to a fraudulent wellness scheme and potentially tanking her career.
Shel saw the sign first, eyes lighting up. And Kara saw her.
For a moment, the sisters just stared at each other.
Then Kara started laughing.
"Oh my God," she said, dropping her bag and crossing the space between them. "Your hair! We look like actual twins again. What are the odds?"
"Kara, I?—"
Her sister ran her hands through her own pixie. “I don’t plan on changing mine back anytime soon. It was so liberating! Although I'm going to miss the—Tiz, why are you crying?"
The tears came before Tzipi could stop them. Great, ugly sobs that made her shoulders shake.
