“And Harper, you need time and space to write your novel or even do the online course to get your teaching certificate. So, listen...”
Harper’s brow creased and Mary crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“Kitty already has a place for us to live. It’s a great old house in this super cute town called Cedar Falls. It’s just thirty minutes north of Milwaukee, so it’s near the airport... and restaurants.”
“Cedar Falls? Are you serious—that’s a real place, not a Hallmark movie town?” Mary was skeptical.
“It’s in this battleground county that went Republican by just 368 votes last time around. It’s ripe for a change. It could make all the difference in the election since it’s expected to be so close. But beyond that—it’s an adventure!”
“I can’t afford to...” Harper always worried about money, but Dot jumped in quickly.
“It wouldn’t cost us anything! I’ve done the math.” She pulled out her phone to show them a budget she’d made. “With the money that For the Win will give me to manage the year, and free housing, plus a car, we would be able to handle everything without a struggle.”
Harper stared into her sangria. “I can’t take money from you, Dot.”
“You wouldn’t be taking money from me. The house and car come with the gig. And it hasfourbedrooms. You’d even have your own bathroom, Harp!” That perk got Harper’s attention. “Come on. We can do this. It would be a break from the city. Together. Crew two-point-oh.”
Mary furrowed her brow and laid her hands on the table. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I think it’d be good for us. We can do something meaningful, as you just said, Mary, and we can all have one more year together before we finally meet the men of our dreams and settle down back here at home in the city.”
With that, Dot sat back, letting her girlfriends consider the idea. Harper opened the door to it first.
“Well, what’s the worst that could happen? It’s not like my life is on the right track at the moment,” Harper said. “Maybe I need to shake things up.”
“What’s the equivalent of good Italian in Wisconsin? Is it like a bratwurst?” Mary said.
“I’m sure we will find you something to eat,” Dot said, taking a playful jab at Mary’s appetite. “Let me ask—do you think your firm would let you work remotely for a year?”
“Maybe. The senior partner of the firm is a big Dem and often does election protection and integrity work pro bono. She might be cool with it.”
Suddenly, Dot sensed a stirring. It felt like... hope.
Their pitcher of sangria was empty.
“Another round, Jimmy!” Mary winked as he swung by their table.
“Anything for you, Bonita,” he said. “How about I add calamari and the kale and artichoke dip? On the house.”
“Perfection,” Mary said, rewarding his generosity with one of her big smiles.
Dot kept pushing and said, “Girls. You know me. I’m not reckless or spontaneous. I’ve thought this through. I wouldn’t let you down, you know that.” She waited several moments as Mary and Harper sat quietly, quizzical looks on their faces. “So, what do you think?”
“I’m thinking.” Mary looked to the ceiling as if the answer were there. Could she picture herself in.... Wisconsin?
Harper tried to break the silence, but no words came out. She closed her lips again and considered Dot’s proposal.
Dot held her breath, giving them a moment to digest.
“Let’s say we did this.” Mary leaned back in the booth, tapped her nails on the table. “If I could keep my job, and if my family wouldn’t want to hold me hostage in our basement—could we make a deal that we’re back next year in time for... let’s say... the tree lighting at Rock Center?”
“I absolutely can agree to that. Kitty said they only needed people up until the election. We can even book our flights so that we come back on...” Dot paused while she looked up the date of Election Day. “November 8, 2028. The day after the election. Then we’ll know that this is an adventure with a firm end date.”
Harper let Dot and Mary chew on the details but was thinking about her own circumstances. “I hesitate because I truly have no money, and I can’t ask my parents to help fund another year of finding my way... not that this is a waste of time, Dot, but that’s how they’ll see it for me.”
“Even if you told them that by the end of it, you’ll have written your novel?” Dot asked.
“I guess it’s possible they’d believe that. I just don’t know if I could even manage to do it,” Harper said. “But I know I am never going back tothatschool, not after what happened. And my living situation is a nightmare. I suppose I could find some desperate trust fund baby to take over part of my lease at the apartment.”