“Once again, you’re killing me with the funny. Can’t stop laughing.” She was probably the most sarcastic person I’d ever met, and I loved it. “I’d like to see them, but I want it to be you and me as much as possible.”
And my heart stopped again.
Anna
The next few weeks became a gigantic countdown. Ethan and I settled into a routine of sorts. We spoke to each other when he got up and then sometimes just before I went to sleep. He’d worked every weekend since being back in New York. It was selfish of me, but I liked that his life seemed to be about work. When he went out it was always business related. He’d only seen Andrew and Mandy once since he got back.
Work was less and less interesting to me. It was difficult to know whether that was because Ethan was the ultimate distraction, or whether it was the job, the clients and the politics. Maybe it was all of the above. I just didn’t see my future at the firm any more. Once I realized that, it made it difficult to get up in the morning. I needed to be working toward an alternative, but I wanted Ethan as part of that. I didn’t want to be the girl whose future depended on a guy, but that ship had sailed. My future without him was unthinkable. I would never choose a job over him, it was as simple as that. Especially a job I felt, at best, ambivalent about. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to resign.
The weekend before Christmas, Leah invited me to have dinner with her and Daniel at their place. I was pleased to have the distraction. It was dark, wet and cold as I arrived at their place.
“It smells delicious, Leah,” I said as I followed her into the kitchen. ”Did you cook?”
“I did. I hope it’s all right.”
“I’m not sure I’d ever bother cooking if I had a housekeeper.”
“I know, but I feel really guilty about her doingeverything for us all the time. And anyway, I quite like cooking. Daniel’s been in the study all day working, and I’ve been cooking. It’s been like something from the fifties. Wine?”
“Of course wine. So where’s Daniel now?”
“Behind you,” Daniel said as he came into the kitchen. “My spidey sense told me you were about to open some shitty wine, so I’ve come to save you and find the good stuff.”
Leah grinned. “So how’s Ethan?”
“Good. He’s still not asked me to go to New York. But we’re going to talk about it when I go over for New Year, so it’s all good.”
“Have you offered to go?” Daniel asked.
“I want him to ask me. I don’t want to feel I’ve backed him into a corner.”
“He loves you. He’s not going to feel backed into a corner,” Leah said.
“Then why doesn’t he ask me?”
“Have you asked him to move to London?” Leah asked.
I shook my head. “It’s difficult for him.”
Daniel started laughing. “You know how ridiculous you sound, right?” Was it ridiculous to want Ethan to show me he was sure about us? “He’s in an impossible situation. He can’t ask you to move to New York without running the risk of looking like a dick because he’s asked a girl to give up a life and career for him.”
I’d not thought about it like that. “I suppose.”
“And moving to London has got to be tough for a New York lawyer. I mean, I’m not trying to say your career isn’t important, but he’s a partner, he’s built a practice. It would be hard for him to start again.”
“I know. I’m happy to go to New York. I don’t love myjob that much. I’m bored and I could do with a fresh challenge.”
“I’m going to miss you so much,” Leah said as the kitchen timer started buzzing. “Will you two go and sit down. You’re distracting me.”
“Are you sure you don’t want us to help?” I offered.
Leah ignored me, and Daniel guided me toward the table at the far end of the kitchen.
“So, you think you’ll end up in New York?” Daniel asked.
I shrugged. “I guess we’ll talk about it over New Year.”
“Look, I don’t know if you’d be interested, but I need a lawyer for my hotels in New York. I’ve put a new management team in there recently. There was a whole lot of crap that happened earlier in the year. And I want someone I can trust working with them.”
