Page 116 of Happily Never After

“No, no. I’m here of my own accord.” Brianna shoved a Tupperware container at her and drew her into a tight hug. Coconut shampoo and spearmint gum lingered in the air. She drew back and took Claire by both arms. “Are you okay?”

Claire raised one eyebrow.

“I mean, all things considered.” Brianna nudged Claire inside and shut the door behind them. Rosie and Winston surrounded Brianna, sniffing and demanding pets.

Claire hesitated, fully prepared to put on a brave face and insist that everything was fine, that tomorrow would be better, there were great things in store. But she wasn’t sure of any of that anymore. Her lip quivered, but she straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath.

“It sucks. All of it. But at least I’m not dead.”

Brianna bit her lip and gave her another hug. Cupcakes jostled in the container as she took it back from Claire and stepped lightly down the hall to the kitchen. She tossed her tote-sized purse and a reusable shopping bag on the kitchen island and started piling vegetables and more Tupperware containers into Claire’s fridge.

“Bri, you didn’t have to do any of that.” Claire’s shoulders slumped. It was unclear if it was the rage room or the crushing weight of her failure, but either way she was utterly exhausted.

Brianna turned around, head of lettuce in one hand and container of salmon fillets in the other. “I know you don’t like to ask for help. Or even admit to yourself that you need it. So instead, I, your overbearing half sister, am here to inconvenience you with company and food. We’re having salmon and spinach salad for dinner. I had a feeling you might need some protein and, you know, vitamins.”

“Thank you. Truly. I’m grateful to not be alone tonight.”

“Good. Now where is your washer and dryer? I want to do your sheets so you have a nice, clean bed to sleep in tonight.” For a twenty-one-year-old, Brianna was almost suspiciously thoughtful. That had certainly come from Tanya.

Claire showed Brianna where everything was, then retired to the living room. She had a video chat scheduled with Mindy. It was time to figure out their next steps. She couldn’t keep holding out hope that Brad would call and beg her to come back. He was dead to her. It was time to move forward.

Claire rubbed at her temples. The Ex-Boyfriends on an empty stomach had been great for her rage but weren’t so great for adulting. She took a swig of water and opened her laptop.

“Hey,” she said when Mindy answered the call. Mindy and Nicole had sent a barrage of texts and phone calls after the abduction, but Claire had only sent a few updates in response.She had a sneaking suspicion that Charlie had been intervening for her since the flood of questions had slowed to an ebb.

Mindy’s hair was a veritable rat’s nest, and her face was red. Somewhere in the room, there was the sound of a zipper being zipped. At least someone was having a successful relationship. “Hey, yourself. How are you?”

Claire held up the okay sign. “Awesome. Really good. About to write a self-help book on how to be super well-adjusted and successful.”

Mindy pursed her lips. “All right, Sarcasm Queen. I have a feeling you don’t want to talk about emotions right now. Can I show you our options?”

Claire nodded, relieved to think of anything but the trauma of the past two days, and Mindy screen-shared details on six different couples. Three couples from West Haven and three from Los Angeles had passed the initial questionnaire.

“So,” Mindy concluded. “Though it would be annoying to get scuba-certified, I really think we could do something amazing at the Scranton Aquarium for Todd and Leslie. And we wouldn’t have to worry about the cost of renting items since we wouldn’t have had anything we need for this one anyway.”

“I love that,” Claire mumbled, only half-focused as her mind spiraled with ideas. “Greenlight the stalking phase for Todd and Leslie. I’ll get in touch with the manager at the aquarium in the meantime.”

“What do you want to do about our California couples?” Mindy asked.

Claire sat back on the couch and tucked her feet under her. The thought of choosing another couple to be her first California proposal tugged at her heartstrings. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. She shook away the haunting image of a sunset proposal with the glow of the Hollywood sign in the backgroundand refocused. Her failure with Brad didn’t mean she couldn’t still create something beautiful.

“Well, I love Darius and Nick. But the logistics might be tricky. I kind of doubt the U.S. Figure Skating organization will be cool with me effectively hijacking one of their events.”

Mindy tapped a pen against her lips. “You never know until you ask.”

“True. And if all else fails, we can still rent it out, stage a fake exhibition, plant family members in the audience, and score an amazing musical guest.”

“There’s my girl.” Mindy slapped her desk. “Glad to see you’re feeling better.”

She wasn’t, really. But it helped to have something else to focus on.

“If you reach out to the couples, I’ll start the dream boards, and we’ll go over our ideas in a couple days. Sound good?”

Mindy nodded. “Have you heard from Luke?”

An icepick jabbed Claire’s heart. “No.”

Mindy crossed her arms. Her face grew sullen, more drawn. “If you want me to hit him with my car, just give the word.”

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