Dinner with Bing was super fancy and expensive, just as I’d hoped. And he insisted on paying for everything, just as I’d hoped. And he and Jane were adorable all freaking night, just as I’d hoped.
Except I’d also hoped my phone wouldn’t be dead so I could sneakily take photos of them being all googly-eyed and send them to everyone in our family.
It was refreshing to see two decent people in love and actually getting along with each other. Bing and Jane were a perfect match. Just like Darcy and Lizzie, in their own weird way.
And me and Kitty.
Not that I don’t enjoy being single. I really, really do. No more relationships for a while. I need to figure out my own stuff first, and obviously what happened with Cody told me I am not ready for that yet.
Whatever, I’m good alone.
And I told Bing as much when he tried to horn in on my dessert.
“Are you going to eat all that cheesecake, or—”
“Bing, it’s my first trip to New York. I am having this slice of New York cheesecake. By myself.” Bing blinked, shocked by the shutdown. But I’d become protective of my sweets since the congrats-cake fiasco.
Jane had stepped away to take yet another phone call. It’s obvious she loves her job and is a godsend to her employers, but still, it would be nice to go three minutes without her phone ringing.
But as Jane walked back to the table, I could see there were tears in her eyes.
“What is it?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”
For a second and a half I thought something devastating had happened, like Bing had broken up with her again, leaving her heart in a puddle on the floor dusted with snickerdoodle crumbs. But then I remembered that first, Bing would never in a million years do that again if he wanted to avoid death-by-Bennet-sister, and B, Bing was next to me while Jane took the phone call.
“Cecilia broke her ankle!” Jane said, as she plopped back down into her seat.
“Oh no,” Bing said, putting his hand over Jane’s, and handing her his napkin to wipe her eyes.
“That sucks,” I said. “Who’s Cecilia?”
“She’s a coworker,” Jane replied, sniffling. “And she was supposed to go to Miami this week for me, but now there’s no backup. I have to put together a gift basket for her. She likes Doctor Who—do you think I can get a TARDIS at this hour?”
“Explanation, please? About Miami, not Doctor Who.”
It turns out Jane was supposed to go to Miami this week for a fashion exhibition. But since I called last-minute and said I was coming, she convinced the office to send her coworker Cecilia in her place. But Cecilia broke her ankle this afternoon while rock climbing at Chelsea Piers, so good-bye, Miami.
“Since it’s so last-minute, they don’t have a choice. They have to send me.” Jane was saying. “My flight out is tonight . . . I’m so sorry, Lydia, all I wanted to do was spend this week with you. . . .”
“Jane, it’s okay,” I said, trying to be all casual about it. “I completely get it.”
“Do you?” she said, biting her lip. “It is only three days.”
“Know what? Those three days you were going to spend at work most of the time, anyway. Basically, we’re missing out on three evenings of Netflix after you get home from the office so beat you don’t want to do anything.”
Jane sniffled through her smile. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Well,” Bing said, signaling the waiter, “if your flight’s tonight, we’d better get you packed and to the airport.”
* * *
“I could make you a list of things to see on your own,” Jane said, as she was throwing clothes into a suitcase. Although, Jane’s version of “throwing clothes” involves folding everything neatly into their own perfectly fitting compartments. “I’ll do it on the plane and send it once I land.”
“Sure,” I said. “Sounds great.” In reality, I was a little more waffly.
There are lots of things I want to see, but I don’t really want to do it by myself. Not that I’m afraid of getting lost in the big, bad city—please, Lydia Bennet adapts quickly and flawlessly. It’s just more fun to experience things with other people. Namely, Jane. The actual sights still haven’t been as great as I’d hoped. The great part was seeing them with my big sister.
But I wasn’t about to let Jane know that. She already felt guilty enough.
“Or, if you want company, I’m sure Bing would be happy to take you to the center with him. The kids he works with are really lovely. And Allison and Shea will still be here.”
“Uh-huh,” I said. “Don’t worry. I’ll find something to do tomorrow. And a lot of it is probably going to be sleeping, because I’m beat. Touristing is exhausting.”
“Your feet are not going to be happy in the morning. It took a couple of weeks before I got used to it,” Jane said, with an apologetic smile. Then, as she clicked her suitcase shut, her smile turned serious.
“I don’t mean to be a spoilsport, but . . .” She took a deep breath and fixed me with her best “concerned big sister eyes.” And if you know Jane, you know they’re good ones. “I’m sorry to be leaving, because I was hoping we’d talk about everything that’s happened this summer.”
“I’m sure you’ve heard it all,” I said.
“Probably,” she agreed. “But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to talk about.”
“We can worry about that when you get back.” I shrugged it off.
“Okay.”
I blinked.
That was it? No concerned Jane gently pressing me to get to the heart of the issue? About what I’m doing next? I don’t have an answer, sure, but I was still surprised she’d let it go that easily.
Then again, Bing was waiting to take Jane to the airport, so she probably didn’t have the time for an hours-long heart-to-heart.
“Have you talked to Mary lately?”
“Uh-huh.” Once Jane and I got home and she rushed to start packing, I rushed to get my phone charger. Once my poor baby had some juice, I had found a text waiting for me:
Not bad. Sorry, been working all day.
Yeah, of course she’s busy. I get it. I texted back, and told her I was in New York.
The three little loading dots tortured me for a couple of minutes until—
Neat. Say hi to Jane for me.
I could have responded, but it felt weirdly distant. Talking to Mary is hard enough; it turns out that texting with her is even more emotionless. Or, now it seems to be, anyway.
“I think that’s it,” Jane said, grabbing a sun hat off a hook. She came over and hugged me. I inhaled her Jane smell. “I’m so sorry I won’t get to see you.”
“You will in three days. Don’t worry,” I said, and then gave her one of my brightest smiles. “I mean, Lydia Bennet loose in New York City? What could possibly go wrong?”