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"We're going home in a half hour," Sara told the boys, as they raced away from the dinner table. Then she turned to Siobhan. "Thanks for dinner. It was great."
"Oh, yeah," said Siobhan. "No one can reheat a pre-made lasagna like me."
Sara laughed and started clearing the plates. She thought for a second that she should call the kids back to clean up, but they were already down in the basement, so she stacked them and brought them over to the dishwasher.
"Other one," Siobhan called from over by the sink. "That stuff is clean. I think."
Sara went to the second dishwasher and found it empty, so she started loading stuff in, yawning as she did so. It was Thursday and Sara was always the most tired on Thursday. At least on Friday you had the anticipation of the weekend to buoy up your energy. Thursday was the worst, as far as Sara was concerned.
"Tea?" Siobhan asked.
"Yes, thanks. Decafe though," Sara said, looking at the clock. "What time do you want us out of here?"
"Oh, it doesn't matter," Siobhan said.
"Cause they did their homework and if I let Ben skip his bath tonight, they can go right to bed when we get home, if we stay till like, eight-thirty?"
"Perfect," Siobhan agreed.
They had worked out the plan for dinner at Siobhan's house when Josh's business dinner in Boston had fallen on the same night as Rob's hockey practice.
"I have to talk to you," Siobhan said, plunking down a selection of tea and going back for a couple of mugs.
"Oh, sounds serious," Sara said yawning again. "What about?"
"February break."
"What about it?"
"Josh wants to get a house for um...five days, I think. More skiing. This is the house," Siobhan said, digging through a pile of paper. "Dammit, where is it?" Siobhan scowled and dug and finally found the page she was looking for. "Voila!" she exclaimed and placed the real estate listing in front of Sara.
Sara looked at it. House wasn't the right word. Ski mansion was more like it.
"Seriously?" Sara said, picking up the paper.
"I know," Siobhan said. "Charlie knows the guy who owns it and they live in Mass., so their vacation week is the week before ours, they won't be using it, so they said we could have it for just the cleaning fee or something. I didn't get all the details. Anyway, you guys want to go too? Room for everyone. I mean, look at this, eight bedrooms or something?"
Sara didn't say anything. Lift tickets were expensive and then there was food and then the whole Charlie thing. The kettle whistled and Siobhan went to get it.
"What?" Siobhan asked when she finished pouring the hot water and Sara hadn't said anything.
"I can't," Sara said, swirling her tea bag around in the mug.
"Why?" Siobhan demanded.
"Money," Sara said quickly deciding to avoid the whole Charlie issue if at all possible.
"We'll pay for the lift tickets and stuff. I mean, we're getting the house for practically nothing."
"I can't keep letting you pay for stuff," Sara said. "I mean, dinner, the trip Christmas, it's too much."
Siobhan didn't say anything and Sara took her silence to mean Siobhan was insulted.
"Please don't get me wrong," Sara said quickly. "I am so grateful for everything you have done for me, all of it. I just...I just need to stand on my own two feet. I mean, don't you think it's time I did that?"
"Sara," Siobhan said. "I just don't want to be the only adult female in the house for five days. I want Ben there to keep Abe and Levi from killing each other. And it will be fun. And you love skiing. I mean, you do, right?"
Sara had to nod at that. She did love skiing. If only her dad had gotten her hooked on a less expensive sport.
"Look, can I be blunt?" Siobhan said, and Sara shrugged. Siobhan was usually pretty blunt anyway, without asking permission. "We have more money than you, okay? It is what it is. You, ugh," Siobhan sighed. "I don't know what to say to make it less awkward alright? Just come on the trip and don't worry about it. Please."
Sara grimaced. It wasn't just the money. It was the "Charlie-thing" too.
"What?" Siobhan asked.
"What, what?" Sara replied.
"You made a face."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did. What was that for?"
Sara swallowed hard and then choked the word out. "Charlie."
"Oh, that? Jeez, you had me worried for a bit. It's not a fix up, okay?"
Sara rolled her eyes at that.
"No, it's not. I admit, the whole thing back in, when was it, September? That was a mistake. I mean Charlie is great," Siobhan hurried to add. "But you obviously weren't ready. Too soon after the whole Ty...thing. So will you go?"
"I'll think about it," Sara said.
Now it was Siobhan's turn to roll her eyes.
"You could do a lot worse than Charlie, you know," Siobhan said.
"I thought you said this wasn't about fixing us up," Sara said, looking over her cup of tea at Siobhan.
"It's not! I just think you should know, he is nice. And stable. He's not going to wig out on you and..." Siobhan paused looking for the right words.
"Dump me when he gets the chance he's been waiting all his life for?" Sara said, then realized that she could say it and it didn't bother her. It still had been a really shitty thing for Ty to do and always would be, but apparently she was done being upset about it. Huh. About time.
"Exactly," Siobhan agreed. "You know, every time I see one of those stupid Tinya updates on Yahoo I want to reach through the screen and kick him in the balls. Seriously. What a jerk."
Sara laughed.
"Okay, well you are laughing, that's good," Siobhan said. "I didn't mean to mention Tinya."
"What would they have called us if we had stayed together?" Sara said, "I mean, I'm not famous so they probably wouldn't, but if they did?"
"Tyra?" Siobhan proposed. "No, that doesn't work. Styra?"
"Yeah, it really is better we broke up," Sara said. "That's just awful."
"Horrible," Siobhan agreed. "But you're okay."
"Better than okay," Sara said. "A lot better."
Siobhan held her mug out and Sara tinked hers against it.
"So think about February then?"
"I will," Sara promised.