Page 70 of The Goode Girls of Maple Lane
We also have some out-of-towners. Andy and Nora from Hounds and Hearts drive down from Syracuse, eager to celebrate Aggie after being near certain last fall that she wouldn’t make it to winter. Everett’s sisters Dakota and Charlotte visit to toast Everett, Dakota on her own and Charlotte with her husband and delightfully precocious two-year-old son. The adults embrace Aggie and me like we’re family, as warm and kind as Everett is, while little Liam interrogates his parents about the curious dog-less state of their household. Hannah flies over so we can enjoy a proper visit this time and to check out the Lake Placid Ironman course before she completes the race this summer, though her motivations are suspect since she and Khalil keep making heart eyes at each other. They’ve been training together through an app since she headed back to the UK last month. He hasn’t stopped talking about her. She’s never looked happier.
Johann the baker comes by with a Black Forest cake that might be the best thing I’ve ever eaten, and Arthur and Diana visit with the five-year-old wire fox terrier they started fostering last week.We all play along with their use of the wordfostering, but the dog has clearly found his forever home. Diana wasted no time renaming him Stoker in the Irish author tradition she has upheld with all of her terriers. He gets along great with Aggie and Pilot, and the three dogs create no end of chaos, chasing each other around the sofa, playing tug-of-war, sneaking unattended food off the coffee table, and vying for attention. Aggie can’t totally keep up with the other dogs, and we’ll always be managing the impact of her early years, but her tail never stops wagging. Her beautiful tail, now covered with fully grown hair where last year, there were only sores.
Once people disperse, Everett’s sisters head out to their short-term rental, and the party has dwindled to the seven of us—Hannah, Everett, Regina, Tegan, Khalil, Minh Ha, and me—we collapse in the living room with two tired dogs, and I hand out the gift bags I put together this afternoon, waving away questions about why I brought gifts to my own celebration.
Tegan opens hers first with a childlike enthusiasm, reaching in to hold up a pillar candle.
“‘Wistful Wishes,’” she reads before sniffing the candle. “More like Whole Lotta Lavender.”
Regina gives her a playful swat. “I believe you mean thank you.”
“No. It’s okay,” I say through a breath of laughter as the others examine the candles and soaps in their own bags. “I don’t understand any of the names. I just figured I should use my employee discount before handing in my notice. Thought we could all use a laugh.”
“Cinnamon apples,” Minh Ha says as she sniffs her candle. Then she rotates it to read the label. “Sorry. No. ‘Autumnal Caper.’” She holds it out to Pilot, who’s curled up on her lap.
Pilot gives it only the most cursory of sniffs before settling in for a snooze.
Hannah smothers a laugh behind a loose fist. Her candle scent is Love at First Sight. She doesn’t share this with the group, but the giddy look she sneaks Khalil speaks volumes.
We carry on, laughing about Loden and Linden products in a way that feels deeply cathartic after almost two years of working there, feigning enthusiasm about pretentious home furnishings with politely condescending customers. This Sunday will be my last day. I’m starting a paid internship on Monday with Dr. Stean, the pathology professor who was so understanding about my exam mark last term. She’s even letting me bring Aggie to the lab while I work. The job is full-time for the next three months, and while it doesn’t pay a fortune, it’s enough to hand in notice at both of my part-time jobs. No more weekend candles. No more late-night plungers.
“Think you might go back in the fall?” Khalil asks as he sets aside his Gentle Avalanche candle, one of the most nonsensical scents and therefore one of my favorites.
“I hope not,” I say. “I’m applying for teaching assistantships, and my immunology professor recommended me for a scholarship, but I won’t know about any of it until the fall.”
“If you need another recommendation, let me know,” Minh Ha offers.
“Wow, really?” I ask. “Even though you’re not my professor?”
“Happy to,” she says. “And I can honestly say you never wrote a paper that bored me.”
I almost laugh. If she ever read the papers I wrote as an undergrad...
“I can do another shirt,” Regina adds from her spot in the middle of the sofa. “I’m dying to launch official fan club merch and Tegan’s been begging for an Aggie’s Waggies tee.”
“Aggie’s Waggies,” I echo with a smile as I pet her head where it rests on my lap.
“You know I’ll do branding and video production,” Everett says, seated behind me in an armchair while I lounge on the floor with Aggie. “But only if you want me to.”
I give his leg a squeeze in gratitude. He knows I’ll want him to. We’ve already worked this out. I post casual Aggie updates when I have them. He steps in with sponsorship negotiation and video production as official brand manager on an as-needed basis. Neither of us touches the account on date nights or weekends, which we’ve been better at carving out for each other.
“If it’d help,” Tegan says, “I can book you in for a financial planning session.”
I spin toward her in surprise. She has only ever said she works in a bank.
“You’re a financial planner?” I ask.
“I know.” She sighs through an eye roll. “Most boring job ever.”
“Mostamazingjob ever,” Regina corrects before I can do the same. “I never could’ve started a business without you. And you look stupid hot in a pantsuit.”
Tegan grins at this, and for a moment, the two of them get lost in a love bubble, locking eyes and linking pinky fingers on the sofa, still and forever The Lovers to me.
“If we get seed funding for our grant proposal,” Khalil says, “I might be able to pay for Aggie to test demo models. Worth a shot, right? And something fun for your account?”
I gape at him in astonishment. “Something spectacular for the account.”
“You know I can’t help with money,” Hannah says, “but I’ve got you twenty-four seven for moral support. And I’ll visit more often. Also...” She sneaks another look at Khalil as her cheeks bloom red, drawing out a blush on his cheeks as well. “Cornell has a hell of a law school, so, you know, we could look into that. See if there’s a way to do more than visit.”
