Lenore picked up her pen once more, scribbling a line across her page. Beth watched, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.
“What are you writing down?”
“Oh, just little notes here and there.”
Beth raised an eyebrow, not satisfied with the answer. Lenore smiled. From the woman who had sat stone-faced across from her for an entire year while Beth bared her soul through tears, there was an awful lot of smiling happening today.
“If you must know… I wrote ‘What’s next?’ So, I’ll ask. What’s next for you, Beth?”
Beth grinned sheepishly. “Oh, next… Well.” She adjusted her skirt, the gold cuff bracelet adorning her wrist catching the sun, sending a flash of light across the blank wall behind Lenore as she took in a deep breath. “Sarah and I are moving to D.C.”
“That’s a big change.”
“It is. But it feels right.” Beth dropped her eyes to the stain on the rug again. “I’m ready for my next big adventure. And honestly, I’m feeling like a change of scenery could be good. Trading one Washington for another feels almost serendipitous.”
“How so?”
“It feels almost like the perfect do-over for us. I, um, waslessthan enthusiastic about moving to Seattle when Sarah’s career brought us here, and now I’ve lived enough of my life to know that I can build a home anywhere as long as I’m building it with Sarah.”
Lenore flipped her notebook closed, setting the pen on top. “I think that’s a very beautiful way of looking at things.”
“I think so too.” Beth shifted, the slim package next to her moving against the leather of the couch. “Oh, I almost forgot. This is for you. A parting gift. And now, after being here again after a whole year away, I’m glad I brought it. I thought for sure you might have hung some art up by now.” She grinned, sliding the package towards Lenore.
A crinkling sound filled the little office as Lenore peeled away the craft paper. “It’s perfect,” she laughed. Beth joined her, looking at the canvas in Lenore’s hands.
“I didn’t want to overwhelm you with color, but texture—that’s a different story. Now people will have something else to look at when they’re sitting in here.” Beth rose to her feet, Lenore joining her. “Thank you for everything.”
“Best of luck in D.C., and take care of yourself,” Lenore said warmly as Beth stepped out of her office for the last time.
The heat of the summer sun warmed Beth’s face as she walked down the tree-lined sidewalk in the direction of the Grumpy Goat, where she and Lily had planned to meet following her appointment. Lily had dropped her off since her beloved car was already en route to D.C.
The familiar jingle greeted her as she pushed through the coffee shop’s front door, the scent of roasted coffee beans wafting to her as she grinned, her eyes landing on the red-headed Rousseau siblings.
“Liv, Oliver! Hey,” she greeted them, setting her sunglasses on top of her head as she stepped up to the counter.
“Hey!” Liv said with a broad smile, pulling Beth into a hug. “How’s packing going?”
“It’s going. Still sorting through what’s coming with us, what’s going into storage, and what’s staying behind at the house. What are you two up to?” Beth asked, leaning around Livto say hello to Delaney, who was looking at her shyly from the safety of her dad’s arms.
“Liver and Delaney were driving Sophie crazy, so I offered to take them to the park for her.” Liv winked, making Beth laugh. God, Liv was an odd one, but that was what Beth liked so much about her. She owned that part of herself. Beth was almost sad to be leaving after becoming friends over the past year, but Liv had promised to visit and, in her own words, was veryin the knowabout the goings-on in D.C., whatever that meant.
“It’s the perfect day for the park. If I didn’t have a mountain of stuff to sift through, I’d join. I miss the park days.”
Liv snorted. “We’re just about out of the sticking-everything-in-her-mouth phase, which makes nearly everything that much more enjoyable.”
With a sweet smile, Pat set three drinks on the counter in front of them. “One iced latte with whole milk, one raspberry lavender lemonade, and one Delaney Special.”
Oliver reached for the drinks, waving his thanks as he moved towards the door with Delaney.
“You officially leave on Wednesday, yeah?” Liv asked, sliding her straw into the lid of her drink.
“Yup. Lily, Sarah, and I are hitting the road. It’ll take us a few days to get to D.C. Lily has researched every odd roadside attraction between here and the east coast that is within a reasonable sidequest distance. But the attraction list is ‘top-secret’ until we’re on the road.”
“Sounds like she’s feeling a little better after the breakup?”
Beth looked over her shoulder, scanning the café for Lily, who was supposed to be meeting her here.
Pat caught her eye. “Lily and Dylan popped to the pita place down the street to pick up lunch. They won’t be back for a few minutes.”
