The Status of All Things (28 page)

“That’s interesting,” my mom says, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “I had my own little wake-up call this morning,” she says as she adds a packet of raw sugar to her coffee. “I woke up feeling so emotional. I think Max leaving you reminded me of how your dad left me. But then I ran into this woman—she had the most beautiful curly hair and dark brown eyes!”

I perk up as my mom begins to describe Ruby, how she met her as she was getting coffee, and for reasons my mom couldn’t explain, she’d felt compelled to spill her entire life story to her as Ruby nodded her head and sipped on her mocha. When my mom had finished rambling, Ruby gave her a serious look before asking if she was finally ready. My mom, confused, had asked, “Ready for what?” To which Ruby had replied, “To begin living your damn life again, woman!”

“For a minute, I was shocked. I mean, who did this woman think she was?” my mom says with a laugh. “But then I realized she was right. And I wanted to find you immediately and warn you not to make the same mistakes I did. To not let what Max did define the rest of your life.” She pauses, staring out the window at the ocean. “And then I get up here, and you’re not crumpled
in a ball on the floor like I would have been. I had no idea you were so strong. It makes me realize how weak I’ve been. I’m so sorry.” She puts her arm around my shoulder and I lean into her.

“Don’t be,” I say, her silky hair pressing against my cheek. “Maybe we can work on moving on together. Okay?”

An hour later, I’ve convinced both my mom and Jules, who’d also showed up at my door saying she was still
very worried about me
, that they could leave me in the hotel room by myself. After they’ve gone—I ordered Jules to pack for the red-eye home that night and my mom to go lie by the pool—I make a quick call to the front desk, then pick up my cell phone. Last time, I’d been terrified to show any weakness on Facebook, to let people know that life wasn’t turning out the way I’d hoped it would. This time, I pull up my profile, smiling as I read all the congratulatory messages on my timeline and decide that everyone deserved to hear the truth from me. I type the words without hesitation, that Max and I decided not to get married today, but that I truly appreciated everyone’s kind thoughts. I hit post and throw my phone into the drawer before collapsing onto the bed, relieved to have the truth out there, closing my eyes and letting the sound of the waves lull me to sleep.

A knock at the door wakes me and I jolt upright. “Room service!” a familiar voice calls out.

Ruby’s curvy silhouette takes up the threshold as I swing the door open and see a plate of fresh fruit in her hands. “Hungry?”

I wave her in and we walk out to the lanai, the hues of the golden sunset filling the sky. As I place a piece of mango into my mouth, letting the sweetness slide down my throat, I remember standing out here on the night of my rehearsal dinner, my chest tight with anxiety. And now, the calmness that fills my body is so foreign it feels almost like a drug. “Thank you,” I say to Ruby.

“I figured you were probably starving.”

I laugh. “I’m not talking about the food. For what you did for my mom.”

Ruby grins. “Consider it a parting gift.”

“But how did you know that was exactly what she needed to hear?”

“I can’t believe that you’re still questioning how I know things!” she says as she firmly places her hands on her hips.

“Sorry!” I say. “I guess I still don’t understand all of your powers.”

“Clearly,” she deadpans, and I swat her arm. “So tell me,” she says, her smile fading slightly. “Where do you go from here?”

“You know, I always thought that somehow my life wasn’t perfect unless other people thought so too.” The image of Callie Trenton materializes in my mind, her hand wrapped around her swollen belly as the sun casts a glow across her face. The same picture I’d seen on so many Facebook feeds. “But I would still constantly wrestle with that idea, often wondering, when I still didn’t feel authentically happy inside, if I needed to mimic what other people were doing to achieve that.”

“And now?”

“Now I don’t give a fuck,” I say, and smile. “I just want to live a happy life, no matter what that life looks like.”

Ruby puts her arm around my shoulder. “I have a feeling you’re going to find that happiness you’re looking for. Just don’t make me come back here again, okay!” she mock scolds me, her laughter vibrating her chest. “You take care, Kate,” she adds, before disappearing through the door almost as quickly as she came.

“Bye, Ruby,” I call after her.

“Who’s Ruby?” Liam’s head peeks through the sheer curtain.

“The woman who just left? Isn’t that how you got in here?”

Liam shakes his head. “How long were you in the sun today? There’s no one here. Jules gave me her key—she wanted me to check in on you. You haven’t been answering your texts.”

“Sorry, I threw my phone in the drawer and fell asleep for a few hours.”

“And you were dreaming about a woman named Ruby who was in your hotel room? Tell me more!” He laughs and deflects the swat I give him.

“Come. Sit with me,” I say as he plops down onto the chaise and wraps his arm around my shoulder, the same way he had at Nikki’s party right before he told me he loved me. But did that mean that those feelings would translate here, to the life I came back to?

“Are you really okay?” he asks, his tone turning serious. “Jules told me you said you were, but I need to hear it from you.”

“I am,” I say. “Things have a way of turning out exactly the way they’re supposed to.” I grab a grape off the plate, popping it into my mouth. “Where’s What’s-her-name? Your date?”

Liam glances at his watch. “Probably about halfway over the Pacific Ocean by now.”

“She left without you?”

“She wasn’t happy that I spent most of last night here with you and Jules. She said she didn’t want to compete with something like that.”

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I feel like it’s my fault.”

“Don’t be. It wasn’t going to work out anyway.”

“Why? Does she have a bunion or something?” I tease.

“Worse—she has a hamster. Named Mr. Magoo. What adult woman has a hamster as a pet?”

“What a travesty!” I smile and grab another grape, this time tossing it at Liam’s mouth, and he cranes his neck to catch it.

“So what now?” he asks. “You heading home?”

“No. I’m going to stay another week,” I say. I had called down earlier and extended my reservation, deciding that it would give Max plenty of time to move out of the condo and me enough time to absorb the new direction my life was going in. I look over at Liam. “Want to join me?”

Liam’s eyes shoot up and our eyes meet. “Are you sure?”

I nod my head. “Absolutely.”

“Then of course I’ll stay,” he says softly.

I reach over and wrap my hand around his, not knowing if it’s the right thing to ask Liam to stay, not sure if we might ruin our friendship if we try to make it something more. But as his fingers meet mine, I decide that I’m ready to take the journey, no matter where it might lead us.

Acknowledgments

So many people to thank. So little time. (Actually, that’s not true. We have all the time in the world. We’ve just always wanted to say that.)

To Greer Hendricks: How can we ever properly thank you for making our publishing dreams come true? Because we know the DryBar gift certificates are definitely not enough! We are so lucky to have you as our dream editor, championing us every day. Big kisses to you! (And, btw, it doesn’t hurt that you write the
nicest
editorial letters!) And Sarah Cantin, we love you, even though we kind of want to hate on you, because you just might be the cutest, sweetest, best-dressed woman
ever
. Not to mention, you give amazing restaurant recommendations. We’re also so appreciative of our publisher, Judith Curr. We are simply in awe to be working with you. You’re the best of the best. And a big thanks to the entire team at Atria. We feel like the luckiest girls in the world to work with y’all.

We adore you, Elisabeth Weed. You are the best agent we could ever ask for. (And a blast to share a bottle of wine with too!) And we so appreciate that we can always count on the wonderful Dana Murphy.

Ariele Fredman, we feel lucky to have you as our publicist. Thank you!

Huge love to all of the authors and bloggers and readers who have supported our journey. We appreciate every post, every picture, every review, every seat filled at a book signing, everything. Thank you.

To our faithful early readers—Mike, Matt, Cristine, and Heather—know that your feedback was invaluable in shaping this story. We could never thank you enough.

Mike and Matt, we love the hell out of you for stifling your eye rolls as we chat endlessly, for laughing at our jokes even when they aren’t that funny, and for reminding us it’s okay not to be perfect. Simply: Thank you for loving us just the way we are.

And to our Facebook friends: Thank you for sharing your lives with us each day and allowing us to crowd your news feeds with our endless selfies. (We just can’t help ourselves!) We hope you read this story and realize that no one’s life is as picture-perfect as it may seem, even if the photos and status updates they post might make you feel otherwise. And let’s be honest, an ideal life would be pretty damn boring anyway, wouldn’t it? Embrace your imperfections—and we guarantee everyone else will too.

XOXO, L&L

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Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke are the authors of
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and have been best friends for more than twenty-five years. Liz lives San Diego with her husband and two children. Lisa, a former talk show producer, now lives in Chicago with her husband, daughter, and two bonus children. You can find them on their website,
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ALSO BY LIZ FENTON AND LISA STEINKE

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the authors’ imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2015 by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

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First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition June 2015

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fenton, Liz.
The status of all things : a novel / Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. —First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition.
pages ; cm
1. Time travel—Fiction. 2. Social media—Fiction. 3. Female friendship—Fiction. 4. Chick lit. I. Steinke, Lisa. II. Title.
PS3606.E5844S73 2015
813'.6—dc23 2014039814

Cover Design by Connie Gabbert Design and Illustration, LLC

Cover Photogragph by Benjamin Edwards

ISBN 978-1-4767-6341-5
ISBN 978-1-4767-6343-9 (ebook)