“I guess,” I said glumly. “You guys have any Twinkies?”
My sisters burst out laughing, and Frannie reached for her bag. “Oh, I forgot! It’s not Twinkies but I did bring you guys some macarons from the shop. I’ve got lavender, pistachio, and Fruity Pebbles.”
“Fruity Pebbles?” I asked, perking up. That sounded right up my alley. “Like the cereal?”
Frannie set a robin’s egg blue box with a clear plastic lid on the table, full of violet and green and pink pastries. “Yes. It was Millie’s idea. They’re pretty good, actually.”
We eagerly dug in, moaning with delight at the sweet almond meringues and delectable fillings. I had to admit they were much better than Twinkies.
“Go on, Meg,” urged Frannie. “You were talking about what happened with Brooks.”
“Well, when we first met, he seemed so smart and successful and sophisticated. And he was very handsome and definitely interested in me. I was flattered. Then as we got to know each other, we discovered all these similar beliefs and habits and long-term goals. We just made sense on every level. So we signed a lease together and started to plan for the future.”
Chloe wrinkled her nose. “That’s not very sexy.”
“No, it really wasn’t. I mean, we had sex, at least in the beginning, but it was never at the heart of the relationship. It was never the most exciting thing about us. And eventually, it fell by the wayside.”
“You fell out of love?” Frannie asked, as if such a thing had never occurred to her.
I took a sip before going on. “I guess. Although maybe we didn’t really love each other. At least not enough.” Brooks’s words came back to me . . . We didn’t love each other enough to fight for it. “I want someone who will fight for me, you know? Someone who won’t give up on me so fast. Someone who will choose me over anyone or anything else, even if it’s not the easy choice.”
Chloe reached across the table and put her hand over mine. “You deserve that. So don’t stop believing it can happen.”
Frannie put her hand on top of Chloe’s. “Absolutely. I never thought Mack would look twice at me, let alone fall in love with me enough to get married again. But I never gave up hope.”
April reached over and added her hand to the stack. “I have no words of wisdom because I haven’t been able to figure my shit out either. But I want a piece of all this positive energy. This is good stuff.”
I laughed. “Thanks, you guys. Sometimes it’s hard to believe what I’m looking for—whatever it is—is out there. I’m thirty-three already”—thirty-five-year-old April cleared her throat, and I looked at her sympathetically—“and I feel like I’ve gotten at least close to finding the right person but failed at making it work. But you’re giving me hope. I won’t give up.”
“Good.” Frannie checked her phone and sighed. “I should probably get going. Mack will worry if I’m out too late. He’s overprotective.”
“Awww,” I said. “So sweet.”
“And hot,” April added.
“It is.” Frannie giggled and lowered her voice. “I’m going to wake him up for round two.”
The three of us groaned with envy, hugged her goodbye, and asked one of the bar backs to walk her out to the parking lot. Chloe and April left shortly afterward, and after saying goodnight I headed down the hallway off the lobby that led to our family’s private wing.
The house was dark, but my mom had left one light on for me in the upstairs hallway outside my room. There were freshly laundered towels folded on my dresser, an extra blanket at the foot of my bed, and a note on my pillow.
So happy to have one of our little sparrows back in the nest. Love you!
I smiled and set it aside, got ready for bed, and slipped beneath the covers. It felt both odd and comforting to be there alone in the dark in my old room. A thousand memories flashed through my brain—being nervous about an AP exam or a cross country meet the next day, stressing about my campaign for student council president, worrying that my crush on some guy would be forever unrequited.
I turned onto my stomach. I’d gotten up super early and should have been tired, especially given all the wine I’d drunk, but I wasn’t. If I’d been seventeen again, I probably would have snuck downstairs and called