Jane sighed, pushing her dark hair away from her face. “And if he doesn’t?”
“Then we fall back on our original plan,” Lizzy said patiently. “A derelict mansion and two dozen cats.”
Her sister fought a smile as she sent Lizzy an exasperated look. “I think we’re approaching the age whereGrey Gardensreferences stop being funny.”
“And start being aspirational?”
Piper rolled her eyes at both of them. “You two are ridiculous.”
“Don’t worry, you can come visit us,” Lizzy said, popping a Tater Tot in her mouth. “You just have to learn to like cats. And the occasional raccoon.”
Piper shook her head, stealing Lizzy’s pint glass and refilling it. “Stop. The odds of a guy ghosting either of you are close to impossible, so if it somehow happens to both of you in the same week, I’m officially renouncing any and all belief in true love.”
Lizzy smiled, resting her chin in her hand. “And how does Sasha feel about that?”
“I just promised to take her out to Montauk for a romantic weekend next month, so it could definitely get dicey.”
Lizzy laughed. Piper’s girlfriend, Sasha, was one of her favorite people in the world, and she regularly begged Piper to have her move down from Boston. She was about to ask when she would be in town, when an idea suddenly struck her.
“Oh!” Lizzy perked up and turned to her sister. “Charlie wanted to take you away for a weekend, right? Why don’t you book a place in Montauk and surprise him?”
Piper’s forehead knitted with confusion. “Who’s booking what now?”
“Jane needs a grand gesture to show Charlie how much she cares about him, so we’ve been brainstorming,” Lizzy explained.
Jane sighed. “That’s not a grand gesture, Lizzy. He was talking about Paris. Montauk is only twenty minutes away.”
“Who cares? It’s stillaway,” Lizzy replied.
“You can get a good deal after Labor Day, too,” Piper said, leaning her elbows on the bar. “They’re practically giving rooms away in the off-season.”
“And you have so many vacation days saved up, Jane,” Lizzy added. “You can use a few to take a long weekend in September, right? It’s perfect!”
Jane bit her lip as she seemed to think about it, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll check it out when we get home.”
A bit of the weight in Lizzy’s chest lifted. It felt like a huge win, and she was about to celebrate it when she remembered what had brought them to the idea in the first place.
“Wait, rewind,” she said, turning to Piper. “When were you going to tell us that Sasha is coming down next month?”
Their friend bit back a smile. “Okay, remember how I’ve always wanted to get my master’s in psychology but never had the money?”
Lizzy’s eyebrows pinched together. “Yeah?”
“Well, I applied to Boston University, and I got in! Sasha and I are celebrating before classes start.”
Jane jumped off her stool, clapping. “Piper! That’s incredible!”
“I know! I wouldn’t be able to afford it except that I got a massive scholarship. And since I’ll be moving in with Sasha, my living expenses will be close to nothing. It’s finally happening!” Piper said. Then she saw Lizzy’s face and she became pensive. “Are you mad?”
“No, I just…” Lizzy paused, trying to school her expression. “I didn’t even know you applied.”
“I didn’t tell anyone except Sasha. I didn’t want to have to deal with all the questions from everybody if it didn’t work out, you know?”
Lizzy wanted to say no, that she had no idea what she was talking about, but that would be a lie. She had done the exact same thing with Columbia. Except Piper was putting her plan into action, while Lizzy’s remained stagnant. Suddenly, her frustration crumbled, and a new, unfamiliar ache replaced it.
“Well, that’s great,” Lizzy said. She hoped her thin smile was convincing. “Congratulations.”
Piper waved her off. “Don’t get too excited. I could still fail out and end up back here shilling drinks and free advice until I’m eighty.”
