“What, you’re just going to New York?” Matthew’s wide grin faded, but he still seemed to be expecting a punch line.

“I’m leaving tomorrow.” Her heart lodged in her throat, making it hard to draw in a full breath. She’d hoped spitting out the words would be a relief, but she felt sick with guilt.

“We’re scheduled to sign papers in two days on the café!”

“I know.”

“Is this payback because I forgot to pick you up for this party?”

“It’s not payback. I’m leaving.”

“Do you know how stupid this sounds?” Anger cut through his beer-glazed eyes. “You’ve only been to New York once, on the high school field trip last year.”

The vastness of New York City had overwhelmed her on that trip. But she’d been so excited by the newness and energy, which had both followed her home. “Maybe it does, but I’ve got to try.”

“Do you have a job?”

“No.” But she had a list of places where she wanted to work and a seven-night reservation at the YWCA. If she got too mired in the details of this move, she would acknowledge how pie in the sky it was.

His laugh held no humor. “You really aren’t kidding?”

“No.” The more she spoke, the stronger her intentions grew.

“This is bullshit,” he said. “We were supposed to open our own place.”

“It was your place,” she said.

“I thought we were a team.” He gestured between them, sloshing his beer on her white dress.

“Sorry.” They could go around and around, but she was not going to change her mind. She was not. And when Dani came up to them with three beers balanced between her long fingers, she must have immediately seen their tight expressions.

“What’s going on?” Dani asked.

“Ivy is ditching us,” Matthew said. “She’s not signing the papers, and she’s moving to New York.”

Ivy drew in a breath, wishing she were drunker. “I’m not ditching you. I’ve decided to move to New York.”

“No, you haven’t,” Dani said.

“I have.” Telling Dani was harder for some reason. “I’ve talked to Ruth, and she understands.”

“When did you talk to Ruth?” Matthew demanded.

“A few weeks ago.” Her grandmother had needed time to find a new fry cook and overall kitchen manager. Ruth had taken her announcement with a shrug, hugged her, and whispered, “It’s what we all got to do at some point.”

“Weeks?” Matthew shouted. “Don’t you think I deserved the same goddamned consideration? My deal depends on having you both working the business. Ivy, you were trained by one of the best cooks on the Outer Banks, and that means something to my backers.”

Dani took a step back as if she’d been slapped. “You never said a word to me. We were going to enjoy this next year, working together.”

“And next year, when you had your money for school, you were leaving,” Ivy said. “Matthew would have his business up and running, and I’d still be in a kitchen working less than a mile from the place where I grew up.”