Chapter 65
“There’s an urgent care place down the street,” Bethany said. “I can drive—”
“You’re drunk.” Dana laughed. “We both are. We’re not driving anywhere tonight. I’ll just wrap it up and—”
“Bleed all over the place.” Bethany struggled to her feet, then helped Dana stand, too. “Come on, I’ll drive slow.”
Dana sighed. She could tell this wasn’t going to end until she agreed to go somewhere and have her hand looked at, so she conceded defeat. “Fine. Get my purse. I’lldrive, I had less to drink than you did, but you’ll have to shift the gears. I can’t drive stick like this.”
Standing on her toes, Bethany kissed Dana’s cheek. Her lips left a damp imprint behind. “Deal.”
* * * *
Bethany may have been kidding about her professional studentremark, but Dana couldn’t stop thinking about it. During her senior year at college, she couldn’t wait to graduate, and now that she had, the real world wasn’t turning out to be anything like she had imagined. She didn’t want to make cappuccinos for the rest of her life, and her student loans would be out of deferment soon. How was she supposed to pay the bills and survive on a barista’s minimum wage salary?
Now Bethany was in the same boat, looking for jobs where they didn’t exist. No one wanted liberal arts majors. Dana should consider going back to school, not only to put off repaying her loans but also to get a degree she could use. She didn’t think she could stomach another four-year undergraduate degree, but Master’s programs only took two years to complete. Surely she could find something somewhere she might like to do.
What I like to do is live with Bethany,she thought ruefully, but no one’s paying me to do that. Hell, another couple months when her savings run out, and we won’t even have that if she doesn’t find something new.
So Dana started looking into graduate school, and Bethany began trolling the classifieds for jobs that would put her French degree to use. At first, neither had much luck. Then someone Bethany knew at The Washington Postheard of a staff position opening up at the French Consulate General in New York City. Would she be interested?
“WouldI?” she exclaimed, telling Dana about the job. They were once again on the futon, feet up on the coffee table as they looked out at the DC skyline. No wine tonight—they couldn’t afford it—but Dana had brought home venti mocha lattes smothered in whipped cream, and they were enjoying the decadent drinks at the end of the day. “I don’t even know what I’d be doing, but I’m sothere!”
Dana frowned as she licked whipped cream off her upper lip. “New York, though? That’s so far away.”
“Think of the possibilities,” Bethany argued. “I mean, the French Consulate!”
“What’s that even mean?” Dana asked.
With a shrug, Bethany sipped at her drink. “I don’t know. But I’ll find out. It’s on Fifth Avenue, too, right by Central Park. How cosmopolitan is that? It’ll be awesome.”
Dana looked at her friend out of the corner of her eye. “You sound like you’ve already got the job.”
“Not yet,” Bethany hedged.
Something in the way she didn’t quite look at Dana as she said it confirmed Dana’s suspicions that something was up. “But what? You already applied?”
Bethany sighed. “I have an interview next week. I didn’t want to tell you until I knew something for sure…”
Dana’s heart clenched. New York. So they were splitting up again so soon.
“Are you mad?” Bethany asked in a small voice.
“What? No, no!” Forcing a smile, Dana sipped too quickly at her drink and scalded her tongue. “I just—I’m surprised you didn’t tell me sooner, that’s all. I mean, God. New York. That’s…wow.”
Suddenly Bethany grasped her hand and squeezed it tight. “You’re coming with me. My mom sent two round-trip train tickets because she doesn’t want me traveling alone. We’re leaving Monday and coming back Thursday night. Do you think you can take off from work?”
Dana felt light-headed with nervous excitement. “Sure. I’ll just tell them I’m not coming in. I mean, New York! Like I’m going to say no! I’ve never been.”
Bethany gave her a quick hug. “I knew you’d come. My interview’s on Tuesday, but I thought we could stay and see the sights. Also maybe take a look at a few schools, if you wanted.”
“Schools?” Dana tried to pretend as if she didn’t know what Bethany was talking about and failed miserably. “What for?”
With a wry smirk, Bethany asked, “Hello? New York is overflowing with colleges. I know you’ve been looking at grad programs. There’s the State University, the City University, New York U, Manhattan College, yadda yadda. I don’t know what you want to do—”
“I don’t know that myself yet,” Dana admitted.