Taking Vacation

I turn my phone off and grab a plastic freezer bag from the

kitchen, dropping his watch inside, before I knock on Claire's

open door. She's sitting in the middle of her neatly made bed,

still in her work clothes and glowering at her laptop.

"The guy from last night left his watch in my room," I say

to her without preamble. "I told him he can drop by and pick it

up. Is that okay?" I wait but she doesn't look up from the

screen. "Claire?"

"The hot guy you slept with forgot his watch. Got it."

"Thank you."

"How do you do it?"

I turn back at her question, already thinking about my

packing. "Do what?"

"Meet people so easily?"

At first, I think she's joking, but the look on her face is

completely serious. "I don't know. You talk, you drink, you

bring them home. It's not rocket science."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Pretty sure." I laugh. "Where is this coming from?"

She closes her laptop lid, shifting so she's facing me. It's

like she's about to launch into a presentation. "I think I'm

becoming a spinster."

"You're twenty-eight."

"Which would make me a spinster in Jane Austen times."

"And at thirty-one what am I? A crone? You've got

everything going for you. You don't need to meet someone."

"I know I don't need to, Sarah. But I would like to. Is that

so terrible? Does that make me a bad feminist?"

"Did your sister get engaged again? Is that what's going

on?"

"Mark's moving to Seattle."

I straighten in surprise. "Moving moving? Forever?"

Mark works on the floor above Claire. She's been obsessed

with him since before we even met. All I ever hear is Mark cut

his hair. Mark wore a new suit. Mark made eye contact. They

kissed once, years ago, after a late night of crunching numbers

or shredding files or whatever it is they do. According to

Claire, they never spoke of it again. Except she, of course,

never forgot it.

"A trial run for a few weeks while they open the new

office," she says. "But everyone knows they're going to give

him a good position there. He's so talented they'd be idiots not

to."

"That sucks."

"Not that it matters," she says firmly. "He has a girlfriend."

"Had a girlfriend," I remind her. "You told me they broke

up months ago."

"Yes, but it was serious. They were practically engaged."

"Practically engaged isn't actually engaged. You're too

scared to say anything to him." But she's tuned me out, the

glow from the screen illuminating her face as she opens her

laptop again.

"He's moving anyway," she mutters. "So, unless you can

teleport me to Seattle, that's not happening."

"I'll work on it." I lean against the doorframe, my own

troubles momentarily forgotten. "If the guy from last night

comes for his watch, I give you permission to flutter your

eyelashes at him."

I get a smile for that. A small one at least. "I wish I could

come with you to Annie's wedding. I bet there will be loads of

single men there. Men with beautiful accents and sparkling

eyes."

"Sparkling eyes?"

"Because they're so charming."

"You need to get laid."

"I know," she says sadly. "Maybe I'll ask your watch

man." She glances at me, narrowing her eyes. "What time are

you leaving?"

"Four thirty." I wince at the thought.

"I have to be up at six for my spinning class, so if you

wake me when you leave, I will kill you."

"Noted." I leave the watch on her dresser and close her

door. "See you next week."

"Bring me back an Irish husband!"

I get to work on the mess I've left my bedroom in,

knowing I won't have the energy to clean it when I get back. I

even put fresh sheets on the bed before I set my alarm. A few

years ago, I would have stayed up, but I can already feel last

night's activities catching up with me and I climb into bed as

my energy drops.

I turn my phone back on because I don't know how to

survive an evening without it but there are no more messages

from my one-night stand.

To distract myself, I reread the email from Annie, flicking

through the photos. Outside a siren wails and I glance to where my suitcase waits, packed and ready to go, and finally, finally

feel the first stirrings of excitement.

Screw Grayson. Screw Matthias and Harvey and the

beauty therapist who left my right eyebrow bleeding. Screw

cocky watch guy and my 4 a.m. start.

My best friend is getting married. I am going on vacation.

And I'm going to enjoy every damn minute of it.