“Wait. For the guy coming into your place and trying to kill you?” Raynasays.
“Yeah. They are calling it self defense, but she said that I should have told her you were the in the Bronx department,” I tellBrooklyn.
“Right, right. Cool, cool. That’s exactly something you say to a victim. I’m tempted to roll up on that bitch. What thefuck?”
“I don’tknow.”
“Is that all? It takes a lot to make you cry,” Noaasks.
I shake my head and sigh in defeat. They all know me too well. “I hate my job. Like, I hate it. I don’t—I don’t know if I want to be a lawyeranymore.”
“That’s okay,” Claudiasays.
“Yeah,” Noa adds. “Plenty of people hate their jobs. It doesn’t make you a bad person oranything.”
“Except when you’re me and your job is caring for the elderly,” Raynaadds.
“You remember what Dad said. He didn’t care what we did as long as we paid our own bills and you’ve always been good at paying your own bills and mine. Hustle is your middle name,” Brooklyn says as she takes my hand. “If anyone can handle a career change, it’syou.”
“She’s right,” Claudia says. “What do you want todo?”
“I don’t know, but I’m miserable.” Just saying those words out loud breaks the dam. I startsobbing.
“Ohbaby.”
“Lizzie!”
“Ohhun.”
My friends and my sister’s support just makes it worse. Or better. Silas flashes into my mind and I immediately close the image of him out. Nothing about him is the solution, just a band-aid. I have to take care of myself. I have to deal with the problems in front of me and work throughthem.
“I think I have to quit my job,” Isay.
“I know that sounds scary, but it’s okay,” Noa adds. “Especially since youknowyou hate it. Staying there would just make thingsworse.”
“How about this? You’re quitting your job,” Claudia says with a hell of a lot of certainty. I look up at her as I wipe my face. “I’m serious. You are smart and amazing and talented. We’ll help you find yourself and what you want to do and you’re going to quit that job and you’re not going to line up work with anotherfirm.”
“I—”
“Uh-uh. Don’t even,” Brooklyn says. She’s giving me the look. “I know exactly what you’re going to say and fuck. Thatnoise.”
“What?” Noaasks.
“She’s worried about money, but this bitch’s savings account is padded as fuck. She can maintain all this for three years, easy. So funds are not anissue.”
“She might be right,” I admit. I know how to budget andsave.
“Be scared about the unknown, but don’t be scared about the money. You got the money, and we have your back with therest.”
“Girl, have some more sparkling water,” Rayna says, motioning to the fancy glass still in my hand. I take another sip. “Then let’s get these massages because I think we are all tense as hell, and then tonight during Thank God Claudia is Marrying Someone Hot Slumber Party Part One, after I tell you how Langdon’s dick somehow got surprisingly bigger since the last time we slept together, we can sit down and brainstorm Elizabeth Lewis, PhaseTwo.”
“Phasetwo?”
“Yes. My nan is driving me crazy, but she has some decent wisdom. She said all good women have three phases of their lives. The beginnings and the ends of each phase are clear, you just need to pay attention. This is the end of phaseone.”
“She’s right,” Brooklyn adds. “It’s thehair.”
“What’s wrong with my hair?” I refreshed my sew-in before we left forUtah.
