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That’s why I’d called Piper to come out with me. I hadn’t wanted to be alone with my own self-pitying thoughts. It turns out that Layna had shown up for a surprise visit and the two of them had been looking for something to do. Now, we’re all out at Peach Tree’s most popular bar and grill, Peach Fuzz, drinking margaritas and munching on loaded fries.
“So, Layna,” I say, glancing over to the woman seated across from me. “How’s Atlanta?”
She shrugs and sips her drink. “Same city, different day,” she says, not looking up from the tabletop.
It’s easy to see that she doesn’t want to talk about Atlanta. Maybe she’s having issues at work. I don’t know, but I’m not going to pry. I don’t know her well enough to dig into her personal life. If she wanted to talk about it, she would. I turn to Piper, intending to change the subject, but I notice she’s studying her sister. It’s clear she has no qualms about interrogating Layna on her life because she turns to face her fully.
“Spill it,” Piper says. “What happened?”
Layna rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but I notice she doesn’t meet Piper’s gaze. “Nothing,” she says. “I just wanted to come see you.”
“You came to see me 2 weeks ago,” Piper says. “Not that I’m not happy you’re here. I am. But that’s a lot quicker than our usual time between visits. So, I ask you again: What happened?”
Layna blows out a sigh. “I quit my job,” she says.
“What?!” Piper’s shout draws the eyes of a few nearby patrons, but she ignores them, focusing all her attention on her sister. “You can’t just quit your job.”
Layna shrugs. “Well, I did.”
Piper stares at Layna, her mouth opening and closing as if she can’t decide what to say. Eventually, she settles on, “Why?”
Layna takes a big sip of her drink before shooting her sister a bright smile that looks anything but happy. “I realized how much I hate that job and everyone at that company. It was making me miserable. So, I made a list of pros and cons. When the cons outweighed the pros, I just said, ‘fuck it,’ and quit.”
“A list?” Piper blinks at her sister.
Layna nods. “Yep.”
Fishing around in her purse, she produces a folded sheet of notebook paper and hands it to Piper.
“Right here.”
Piper takes the paper from her sister and unfolds it to read what’s written on it. It takes her only a second to shoot her sister another look of disbelief.
“This isn’t a list,” she says. “A list has more than one thing on it.”
Layna shrugs again. “Just proves I made the right choice.”
I reach over and take the paper from Piper’s hand to read it. Under the ‘Pro’ column, there’s one item written in neat, swirling cursive. It just says, “pays well.” The list of cons is significantly longer, filling line after line with everything from “boring” to “soul-sucking” to “too far from Piper”. I can’t help but smile as I hand the list back to Layna.
Everything I know about the other woman says she’s not the impulsive type. Neither of the Brooks sisters are. They’re both logical and methodical, thinking through a plan before acting on it. But this? This reminds me of something I would have done. Hell, I did something like this when I left Atlanta to come back to Peach Tree. While it had been a difficult transition and I know having a plan would have made my life easier, I can’t help but approve of Layna’s spontaneity.
“To a fresh start,” I say, smiling as I raise my margarita.
Layna gives me a relieved smile while Piper casts me a disapproving frown. But she raises her glass along with us. After we all clink our glasses and take a sip, Piper turns back to her sister.
“You can stay with me and Luke until you figure out what you’re going to do next,” she says.
Layna starts shaking her head before Piper can finish her sentence. “Thanks for the offer, but there’s no way I’m crashing the newly engaged couple’s house. I’m not cock blocking you.”
“You’re my sister,” Piper says through her laughter. “You wouldn’t be crashing. Besides, I’m inviting you. That’s the opposite of crashing.”
“I’ll stay tonight,” Layna says. “But tomorrow, I’ll be looking for my own place.”
“Are you moving here permanently, then?” I ask.
Layna hesitates, taking a deep breath and blowing it out before speaking. “Yeah,” she nods. “I am. I want to be closer to my sister. And once I sell my condo in Atlanta, I’ll have more than enough money to find a place here.”
“Are you serious?” Piper squeals, hugging her sister.
