Page 76 of The Comeback Summer

I lean back in my chair, thinking. “Remember the big financial crisis in 2008? GiGi told us she came close to folding. But she said that if you want to be in business for a long time, you’ve got to learn to ride the waves. That ups and downs are a part of life—”

“So, keep your eyes on the horizon and keep moving forward,” Libby finishes, nodding.

“That’s what we’ll do, right?” I say, needing my big sister’s reassurance.

Libby exhales, and her expression shifts from doubt to determination. I can’t deny that it makes me feel better.

“We’re Ruth Freedman’s granddaughters,” she says. “We finish what we start.”

Twenty-Seven

LIBBY

True to his word, Adam emailed me Monday morning and said he’d love to talk about hiring us to do PR for his restaurant. I waited a few hours to write back, not wanting to seem too eager. But in the days since then, it’s been a flurry of emails with questions and details about the history of the restaurant and his goals for the future.

The conversation switched to text messaging yesterday when he sent me photos from inside the restaurant. The place really has seen better days—it’s shabby, and not in the chic way.

Most of our texts have been work related, but the more friendly we get and the more we message, the more worried I am about accidentally mixing up the chat threads and replying to a HannahF thread as Libby, or vice versa.

My plan on quitting One+One cold turkey didn’t work; Adam is still messaging HannahF on the app, although not as frequently.

This afternoon, we’ve been talking about how to breathe new life into some of his menu items. I make sure I’m on our text thread before I type a new message.

Libby:Remind me again what your most popular dish is?

Adam:Probably a tie between the latkes and the smoked salmon Benny

Libby:Have you ever thought about combining the two? Using a latke as the base for the Benedict instead of an English muffin?

Adam:

Adam:I know what I’ll be serving for brunch this weekend! I’ll call it the Libby Special.

Swoon.

Libby:Don’t laugh, but I’ve always wanted to have something named after me. And I can’t think of anything better than fried potatoes and smoked fish!

He sends a winky face, which sends me into a spiral. Is the emoji flirty or friendly? I’m stumped into silence and the seconds keep piling on top of one another.

I picture Adam leaning against the counter at the restaurant, running a hand through his curly hair, waiting for my response.

ADAMR:Hey, what are you doing this weekend?

My heart leaps at the prospect of Adam inviting me over for brunch to sample my namesake dish—until I realize the message isn’t on our text thread. It’s on the One+One app.

I switch back to our text thread. Hannah doesn’t have to reply to him right away. Besides, she’s busy. All weekend.

Libby:You’ll have to let me know if people like it...

I’m about to suggest he have Harvey try the new Benedict out on his next date when I remember that HannahF knows about the octogenarian Romeo, not me.

Adam:What do you think about featuring a different Benny each week?

Libby:I think that’s a great idea—give people a reason to keep coming back.

Adam:You’re so smart

I smile at the compliment, even though a part of me yearns for a more superficial compliment—that I’m beautiful, that I have pretty eyes or great boobs—which, let’s face it, I do.

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