When We're Thirty Casey Dembowski (the chimp paradox .TXT) 📖

them. It was quite the collection, and she hadn’t even needed it for a writing sample. She added the photo of Binx as a kitten—sprawled out on the couch with his tummy exposed, his paws in the air—to the box. He’d been none too happy to be dropped off at Kate’s, which was as unfamiliar to him as Boston, but at least he was out of his carrier. A box of cat toys would be in his future as penance.

Hannah wiggled her mouse until her computer came to life. Her inbox was eerily empty except for one new email that had come through since she’d checked at Kate’s. She squinted at the sender’s name—why was Leonard Nulty emailing her?

A little something from the home studio. You and Will deserve a Wilderness song as your wedding song. Have your second first dance to this. (If I find this on Spotify, I know your boss(es)!)

Hannah pulled her headphones on and clicked on the link. The familiar opening of her wedding song started, on piano, not guitar. And then Leonard Nulty’s voice, scratchy and imperfect, broke through. He’d covered their song. She blinked back tears. He’d gifted them the one thing they didn’t think they would ever have.

“What are you doing here?” Riley’s voice cut through the music pouring out of Hannah’s headphones but just barely.

Hannah pulled them down around her neck. “Remembering.”

“Me too.” Riley sat on the edge of the desk. “Are you staying long?”

Hannah shook her head. She hadn’t even planned on coming here today. But after stashing Binx at Kate’s, she found herself walking toward the subway. Everything about the trip there was nostalgic, from the ebb of the subway to the college students loitering in the park. She would miss that life. Talented was in midtown with a view of Radio City Music Hall. At least the MoMa and the tree at Christmas would be close by. Lunch breaks would never be boring. Not that they had been in the Village.

“Will’s actually meeting me”—she glanced down at her phone— “now. I’ll come back tomorrow to finish packing.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Riley said, adding a cat-shaped sticky-note holder to the box.

“I can come back and do it.”

Riley shook her head. “Let me do this for you.”

“You’ve already done so much for me,” Hannah said, wiping at her eyes. She was being silly. She’d see Riley in a few weeks at Jo’s christening. She was godmother, after all. This wasn’t goodbye, and yet, it was.

“Likewise, Hannah Abbott-Thorne. Likewise.”

Chapter 56Hannah

Hannah stepped out of the subway to a sky streaked with red, orange, and pink. It was a gift at the end of the blustery day. She glanced down at her phone. Will had responded with a thumbs-up to her running-late text, not exactly a ringing endorsement for their reconciliation. She reminded herself not to overthink it. A thumbs-up was just a thumbs-up.

She clicked on Kate’s latest message. So, I was thinking for episode 50, we need to go big. What do you think of Bitching about Boyfriends #50 – The Marriage Pact?

Hannah stopped under the awning of Blue Jean’s to take in Kate’s message. Kate was half-kidding, Hannah was certain, but with a boyfriend as perfect as Patrick, she was running low on material.

Maybe, she typed. If everything goes well. And AFTER I tell my parents.

Kate’s response was quick. Everything will go fine, better than fine. Good luck! Love you! Send pictures!

Hannah pocketed her phone and continued down the street. A few blocks later, Will came into view. He stood outside Kate’s building, his hands in his pockets. Even from a distance, she could tell he was nervous. She picked up her pace.

“Hi,” she said, stepping in front of him.

Up close, the nervousness extended from his antsy feet up to his eyes. She’d told him about the job offer. He was the second person she’d called after Kate—Kate first because Kate would know who Jackson Mendez was without context, and she had a list of selfie requests for a situation just like that. She’d lived Hannah’s dreams with her. Will had been excited, but she knew he wondered what it meant for them given her new benefits package. But that had been the past. Will had asked her to choose her future. It was time she did.

“Hi, Mrs. Thorne,” he said lightly.

Hannah’s heart fluttered at the nickname. She had always loved it despite its teasing nature.

“Walk with me?” he asked, holding out his hand.

Hannah wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. She didn’t want to walk—she wanted to talk to him and hold him and make him believe—but she took him by the hand anyway.

They walked a block in silence. She couldn’t help but notice the changes in him in the few weeks they’d been apart. He looked healthier, lighter. She imagined a weight had been lifted since he quit Wellington Thorne and started over. It hadn’t been easy on him. She knew he was nervous from their limited conversations since they dissolved the pact. But Will would be happier out of his father’s shadow. The boy she’d known in college had been free—anxious about the future but uninhibited. The man he’d become had been fighting to prove himself. But after stepping away from Wellington Thorne, he didn’t have to prove anything to anyone—to be anyone but himself.

They stopped at a busy intersection. Unease grew in Hannah as the silence between them extended. She’d made her decision, but maybe he’d made one too. Maybe they didn’t align.

“Are you still staying at Daniel’s?” Hannah asked.

Will shook his head as they crossed the street. The path was familiar. She and Kate had walked between their apartments countless times in the last few years.

“Right now, I’m in a hotel. But I was thinking, maybe we could stay here?” They stopped in front of her building. Ronny waved in greeting and held open the door. He mouthed a welcome before turning his attention to the next tenant. “I talked to your landlord, and