“It’s just three months,” Sheila says.
“Just three months,” Evelyn agrees.
“And it’s so good for your career.”
“And we areso proudof you.”
“You’ve earned this, Goldie.”
“No regrets. We forbid it.”
The server comes back—which is quite a relief since all of us are getting misty-eyed—and we order our usuals since we still haven’t looked at the menu.
I ask what’s new with my two friends, both because it’s normal and because I don’t want to think about how much I’ll miss these ladies when I’m in London.
None of their ex-boyfriends have passed since we last had dinner together, so instead, they tell me the various places they’ve visited in Europe that I should check out during the weekends while I’m doing my residency.
They’re so excited for me that I forget I’ll miss them, and I start to realize how quickly my three months in London will fly by.
After dinner, I should go home.
Make a few more hard decisions about what I’m keeping and what’s going of what’s left in my apartment.
When I get back from London, I’m not coming back here.
Not permanently, I mean. Silas is still here. My ladies are still here. I’ll visit.
But when I return to the States, I’m embarking on a lifelong dream to see all of North America. I haven’t decided where I’ll start, but it’ll be a fabulous adventure regardless of where the road takes me.
My job is mobile. I can do it from anywhere. My clientele is already mostly scattered around the country, so there won’t be much change for them when I’m across the pond. I’ll just have to monitor time zones.
I rented a storage unit for my books and a few sentimental keepsakes. My car is going in storage since I’ll use it when I get back. I’ll keep the basics for a bare-bones kitchen and bedroom, but otherwise, if I can’t wear it or eat it, everything is going.
And then I’ll write my next book about the experience.
My agent already sold it on spec to the publisher who bought my first two books.
And the other big thing this road trip will do—it’ll tell me where I’m supposed to live next.
I love my brother, complicated relationship and all. I love Sheila and Odette and Evelyn. I have a lot of acquaintances and connections around Copper Valley whom I see regularly, but it hasn’t beenhomesince my breakup with Miller.
London isn’t only about my job.
It’s about a hard break from being in a community where I haven’t totally fit for the past two years.
It’s a fresh start.
It’s a return to optimism after a couple years of healing.
And it’s what I should head home to prepare for.
But instead of doing the responsible thing when Evelyn and Sheila depart, I stay at our table long enough to call Odette and check in on her.
And I hear exactly what Sheila and Evelyn implied.
There’s a hint of pain in Odette’s voice that suggests she should not be getting out on a dance floor two nights from now, no matter how much she insists she won’t let a little pulled muscle and sprained ankle keep her down.
I know she won’t.
