“Yeah.”
“Can I askyousomething?” Larissa asked.
“Um… Okay,” she said, worried that Larissa was about to ask her howshe’dpropose to someone.
Considering she had only ever pictured doing that with Larissa herself and not any of the women she’d been in serious relationships with, she really didn’t want to answer it.
“I know why you left school back then, but why didn’t you ever go back? For real. I know you got a job, and that’s what you thought all college was for back in the day, but you only had one year left, and you really seem to love this stuff. You switched from psych to poly sci, but you never seemed to like political science, and you’ve always been interested in what I’m working on.”
“That has more to do with you and I being friends and me just making conversation than–”
“No, it doesn’t,” Larissa argued. “You like it, Harlow. I know this isn’t exactly a school setting and is for some book I’m working on, but I can tell you’re really enjoying it. You like it more than you’re willing to admit, for some reason.”
“I left for a girl, and yeah, we didn’t work out, but we traveled around the country for a whole year, stayed in crappy hotels and a van for a while, and I had fun. I learned things about myself, took odd jobs to afford things, and got away from school. When I came back, I didn’t want to be in some classroom. I was ready for the world, Larissa.”
“But you’re not twenty-two anymore. You have really never thought about going back?”
“Not really, no.”
“You said work is only okay and you’re bored.”
“Yes. So?” Harlow asked and pulled open the door for them to leave.
“You’re about as high up as you can get there, right?”
“Yes, Larissa. But a degree won’t change that. We’re not growing as a company.”
“It could help you at a different company.”
“You really think I should go back to school at thirty-two to maybe get a new job?”
“I think you should do whatever makes you happy, but you seem to be happy doing this stuff with me. Maybe some of your credits would still be good. You might have to go an extra year or something, but it could be worth it. And I can help. I happen to be getting a Ph.D. there, with a doctor for a sister who has been working her way up in the faculty since birth, I think. You could get back into psych if you wanted. You left in good standing.”
“I don’t think so,” she replied. “But I’ll let you know if I change my mind, okay? Chinese food now?”
Larissa nodded and gave her a smile.
After a pretty quiet dinner, Larissa went to type up her notes, so Harlow headed into her bedroom to find a phone number she had moved from one phone to the other for a while before her phone could do that for her. She knew she hadn’t called her in at least six or seven years, and she wasn’t sure she should now, but she dialed anyway.
“Hello?”
“Kacey?”
“Yeah. Who’s this?”
“Harlow.”
“Oh, shit. Harlow? I didn’t recognize your voice.”
“Or my number?”
“Yeah, sorry. We haven’t talked in forever. What’s up?”
“Sorry, I know it’s a little out of the blue. I just thought I’d call and see how you’re doing.”
“Me? Your girlfriend from, like, ten years ago?”
“We were friends, too.”
