“Paris,” she said immediately, grabbing her phone and navigating to the page for the ball. “I’ve always wanted to see Versailles, you know. The Palace of Louis XVI?”

“Of course I know Versailles. It’s great and all, but . . . Okay. Then go for a week. You don’t have to move in, do you? I mean, really!”

“That’s just to start. I want to see so many things in Europe. Florence . . . Austria . . . I made a list. I think it’d be an adventure.”

“Adventure? You hate adventure!”

“Well . . . I don’t think so. I don’t know. I’ve never really been on one.”

“You hate it. Trust me. That’s why you planned our Disney vacations to the minute. Remember? Nine twenty-five: Wait on line for It’s a Small World. Nine thirty-five: Go on It’s a Small World. Nine Forty-seven: Get off It’s a Small World—Bathroom break?”

Diana stayed silent. Touché.

“Do you even have a valid passport?”

“Of course. I had to get one for work.” She had one, yes, but had she used it? No. Though she’d dutifully renewed it every ten years, she’d never put very many stamps in it. In fact, the only ones she had were from her trips to Haiti.

Lily had risen to her feet and was now pacing the hardwood floors at furious clip, arms akimbo. “What about your house? You’re just going to leave it empty for a whole year? Who’s going to take care of it?”

“I thought I’d get you to rent it out for me. I can do that, right? You could find someone who wants to rent it?”

“Well, yes, in a heartbeat . . .” Lily admitted, clearly not wanting anything to do with it. It made sense. She’d grown up there. The thought of someone using her bedroom as their exercise room, sweating all over her pink carpets, probably wasn’t very pleasant. “And work? They worship you there. The place would probably self-destruct if you missed a day. You really think they’ll be okay with this?”

“I haven’t told Alina yet. But I’ve been working there forever. They owe me this for my loyalty. Besides, Phil can fill in for me. They do give sabbaticals to their top employees. Last year, someone in accounting went on a pilgrimage to Mecca for over six months.”

“Okay, but that was to have a religious experience,” Lily said. “What are you hoping to achieve? Some sort of enlightenment? You have so much right here. A house most people would kill for—right on the bay. A great job. A great life.”

Diana sat there, listening to the laundry list of things she should be thankful for and feeling a little numb. It was that overarching feeling of loneliness that had settled over her last night that she couldn’t shake. Was this all? For the rest of her life? Day after day of the same drudgery, pressing through life alone and wondering what if? “Honestly,” she admitted softly. “I’m just not happy.”