10. Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Lizzie
“F ind anything interesting yet?”
Ethan and I sat on my sofa with laptops open, Jules’ latest rom-com, Anyone But You , playing on the TV screen in the background. If asked to choose a favorite out of all the films my friend had starred in since her career had taken off, this would be the one.
In my opinion, it had everything—a picture-perfect small-town setting, a grumpy-yet-redeemable gorgeous male lead, and a brilliantly performed heroine who was relatable, intelligent and lovably awkward.
Giles—the male lead—was also the quintessential romantic hero. Not only did his character fall in love first in the film, but he then expressed his love to Mira in countless ways. Helping her through tragedy; choosing the perfect gift, because of course he pays attention; working through his own demons so he can become worthy of her.
And then at the end, he makes a grand, romantic gesture that sweeps her off her feet, promising to love her forever in the way she’d never been but had always deserved.
It was no wonder I kept this film on repeat. And by now, I’d nearly gotten to the point where I could watch Jules—practically my sister and whom I’d known since she was thirteen—perform the spicier scenes without outright cringing.
At least Ethan was a good sport and would usually watch it with me whenever he was over. Even though my brother was a sensitive guy, I knew he’d prefer an action movie or something. Sometimes, I even compromised. Especially if it meant something in the Marvel universe. What can I say? I love me some sexy hero action.
But when your life falls apart at the seams, the only reasonable option is a cozy quilt of rom-com comfort. Especially when you are in desperate need of a little hope and inspiration.
We’d been parked with laptops in this exact spot all afternoon and evening, ever since I’d returned from the offices of Woodruff & Shay one last time with my pathetic, half-full box of personal effects in hand.
The fact that I’d never bothered to bring more photos or favorite items into my office in over three years probably said something about the level of my professional commitment. And it was hard not to feel like I was the one who’d actually screwed it all up.
Grabbing a few of the remaining cashews from the bowl between us, I continued scrolling to the end of the current browser page on my laptop screen before clicking through to page five. It was the third job site I’d scoured so far today—but unless I was looking to train as a grant writer or become the admin for an erotic fan fiction site, there was nothing available remotely close to my field. “Nope… nada. Anything over there?”
He cast me a sideways look. “Nothing yet. But don’t worry… we will. There’s got to be something out there for you, Liz.”
My brother, the eternal optimist.
Usually, I loved that about him. Once upon a time, we were twins in that regard, too. But at the moment, his optimism felt wasted on me.
After we’d left the lawyer’s office the day before, I’d confessed to Ethan about my being fired during our very long lunch, most of which we’d spent trying to wrap our heads around our unexpected inheritance.
I mean, what normal person expects to become a millionaire at the age of thirty—especially moments after being fired from their career?
Not that the windfall could in any way replace all we’d lost, of course. I would have given anything to have Grandma Cora sitting here instead right now, reassuring me the way she always had.
“Chin up, Lizzie girl… your next eureka moment is just around the corner, I know it. You will take the world by storm.”
And God, did I miss her words, her encouraging presence. All of it.
I shut my laptop with a sigh. “It’s getting late. Don’t you work tomorrow?”
Ethan set down his laptop on the chest I used as a coffee table, glancing at his watch. “Yeah, but it’s only eight. How about we grab a late-night happy hour from Edie’s before I head home?”
I frowned. “I don’t know…”
“What if I told you I’m buying?” he said, waggling his eyebrows at me.
I shook my head, rolling my eyes. “Ok, moneybags. Deal.”
*****
Fifteen minutes later, the two of us sat in our usual spot at the bar counter, munching on a couple of shared appetizers as we sipped our drinks—a beer for him, a glass of house red wine for me.
“Have you heard from Mariah yet?”
I looked at my brother. “Not yet. You?”
Our older sister had been silent ever since walking out of Bill Hawkins’ office without a backwards glance the day before. I’d been worried she was upset with us for some reason—though for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why.
“No, nothing. It’s weird, huh?”
“Yeah, very. Normally, I’d expect her to have formed a game plan by now, with a zillion instructions on how we should invest and organize our inheritance. But… do you really think she’s mad about the cabin?”
Ethan shrugged. “I don’t know. No one’s even been up there in over ten years—plus, we had no idea our family even still owned it. How could she possibly be angry with you for that?”
“Because it’s Mariah . You know she’s always finding some reason to be mad at me.” Just like Mom.
I’d long since given up hope for a closer relationship with my sister than I’d had with our mother. The way it was between us when we were younger.
And now, with just the three of us remaining, I guess I’d thought maybe it would be possible again.
But apparently not.
“Lizzie, you know Mariah loves you. She probably just needs time to process everything, like we all do.”
I sighed. “Yeah. Maybe.”
“Anyway, I have a proposal for you. And brace yourself, because I’m about to channel our grandmother here.”
“Is now a good time to tell you that I’m not really into voodoo, seance-y stuff?”
He shook his head in amusement. “How about instead I tell you exactly what she would have said, were she here with us?”
“Which is…?”
“I think her giving that cabin to you specifically is a sign, Liz. And the fact that you also lost your job on the very same day. Normally I don’t put much stock in things like Fate, but this… it’s almost uncanny. ” He leaned closer, eyes intense. “I think you should move up to Dearing Creek, fix up the cabin with some of that inheritance money, and finally write your book. Go all in.”
I looked at my brother, eyes wide. I mean, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been dreaming about the exact same thing for the past twenty-four hours. Wondering what life could look like, if I had the time and space to give everything to my writing.
But that would be crazy , right?
“I don’t know. Doesn’t that seem… irresponsible?”
“Now you sound like Mom.”
“Yeah, well… maybe the reason my life has been kind of a mess is because I should’ve listened to her more.”
Ethan smirked. “Not likely. You and Mom couldn’t have been more different if you’d tried. When has following her advice about your life ever actually made you happy?”
I played with the edge of my napkin, sorting through the hundreds of objections filtering through my head. “And what the heck do I know about renovating a cabin, anyway?
He snorted out a laugh, almost choking on his French fry. “Oh, believe me, I’m not in any way suggesting that you do the work yourself. I’ve seen you with a hammer, Liz. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about this.” He gestured towards the small scar above his right eyebrow, looking at me pointedly. For a second, a flash image of Rude Guy—arching a similarly-injured eyebrow—raced through my mind.
At least I’m consistent.
With a roll of my eyes, I sighed dramatically. “Geez, let it go, man. I’m not that bad with tools. Besides, wasn’t that your own fault for getting in my way?”
“Nope, you definitely are that bad.” He grinned as I scowled at him, feeling the corners of my mouth twitch. Even when he was being a total butt, I couldn’t help giggling, knowing he was right. “But with that money, you could actually afford to hire a professional. Turn the place into a real home.”
“I don’t know…”
“No, I think you do . I swear, Lizzie, it’s like Grandma Cora has lined up everything perfectly for you. There’s nothing holding you here in the city anymore. And most of your friends are up there, anyway. Other than the fact that I’ll miss having you live fifteen minutes away, what possible reason would there be for you not to do it?”
After a moment, he turned back to his food, the surrounding noise in the bar filling in the gaps as together we finished eating in silence. After he had paid the tab a short while later, I glanced over.
“We should probably get going… it’s been such a long day. And I bet you’re as exhausted as I am.”
He studied my face for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, fine. I have an early start tomorrow, anyway.” We both stood up, Ethan waving at the bartender on our way out the door. Once outside, he pulled me in for a quick hug. “Look… I know you’re scared,” he said, leaning back again to face me, “but maybe that’s even more reason to do this.”
As always, my brother got me. Of course I was scared. Scared of wanting something so badly, of loving so hard, and losing it all over again.
I am so tired of losing.
“Just promise me you’ll at least consider what we talked about. I’ll even come up north when I can and help out. I’ve missed it, too.”
I nodded. “I will, I promise.” Giving him a quick peck on the cheek, I waved as he headed around the corner towards his car.
Turning to start the walk down the block towards my apartment, I felt my phone buzz in the pocket of my jacket.
Glancing down at the screen, I tensed when I saw the familiar name—Randall.
What the hell could he possibly want?
Deciding it was high time I focused on self-preservation, I silenced my phone, tucking it back inside my jacket.
But that moment was a clear sign that for me, self-preservation had become more about hiding than healing. Maybe Ethan was right. Despite everything that had happened over the last several months, I still believed in Fate and that the signs were always there… if you were ready to see them.
And maybe Grandma Cora had somehow understood I would need a fresh start, even before I did.
By the next afternoon, I had spoken to my landlord about the possibility of a shorter vacate notice on my rental agreement—hoping to work something out before a new month began. By some stroke of luck, his niece was in need of a one-bedroom apartment, and he was more than happy to be flexible. We agreed he’d release me from my lease early, with no penalty.
That was the last piece. Now there was nothing holding me back.
I almost couldn’t believe it—I was going to do this.
I called Ethan with my decision—he sounded even more excited than I felt, offering to get me hooked up with a truck for moving day, two weeks from now.
Two weeks.
But I had one final task to take care of, in order for it to feel real. After first talking with Brooke, it was time to tell the rest.
Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
LIZZIE: Soooo…what’re you ladies doing on Saturday the 12th?
brOOKE: (Pssst…Tell her you have no plans.)
KAIT: I feel like this is a trap. More details, please.
INDI: That’s my weekend off from on-call. Why? You coming up for a visit?
TESS: We’re actually in town that weekend as well. Dinner?
LENA: I’m doing flowers for a wedding, but I wanna see you!
LIZZIE: ok… so, what if I told you I’d just inherited over $9 million two days ago, along with our old family cabin?
KAIT: I would ask if you are, in fact, high right now.
INDI: Wait… you’re not, right? Have you already forgotten the gummy bear incident from Dearie Weekend last summer?
TESS: SMH… this is Lizzie we’re talking about. #neverforget
brOOKE: Guys, she’s not high. This is real. Like, REAL-real.
KAIT: Seriously??
LIZZIE: Ladies… I’m moving to Dearing Creek!
JULES: Just popping in between scenes… yippee!!
INDI: You just made my whole YEAR! I’ll be there!!
brOOKE: Jules is the only one who gets a free pass… because, you know, L.A. But the rest of us have got you… right, girls?
KAIT: Not even a question. I’ll bring the wine!
By the time I lay in bed that night, it was settled.
Farewell, Tragic Lizzie. My next chapter has arrived.