1920s: Thanksgiving in Del Sol Valley

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While her sister's heart is breaking, Alice is having a much better Thanksgiving. Right as she is in the throws of indecision, Julia Thurston, previously Ward, invites her out for coffee only to explain that she's moving to a bigger and better house. "We're calling it The Ward Den, although I suppose we should name it the Thurston den, but it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it? It's up in the Pinnacles, away from all this smog. Anyway, we're wondering if you'd be interested in taking over the apartment." 

 Of course Alice is interested! The apartment is much bigger than her current one, in two floors and with lots of space to entertain. More importantly, it has an additional bedroom, making all her misgivings give way. She can stay in the building she loves, but still be with the woman she loves. Without the crippling fear of detection. She says yes right away.


Still, when everything is moved out of her apartment, it feels strange to leave a place where she's been so happy. She comforts herself with the fact that she's only moving to literary the other side of the wall, and that she's hired contractors to fix up the apartment in the style she has grown so fond of.


Moving in, is it turns out, a lot easier than moving out. With Cora by her side, the two walk around the apartment they've only ever been in as visitors before they took over. Now it's theirs. Room by room, they go through their new home, taking it all in. The bedroom is a similar green to Alice's old one, but the other bedroom is more in Cora's colors and tastes. Cora's old bed is cramped in a corner, but mostly this will be their own private sitting room. "Do we need to keep the bed?" Cora asks. "It's not as if anyone will come in here anyway." But that is were Alice's new found courage stops. "Just in case. Besides, my sister can sleep there when she visits."


Upstairs is the biggest room space, built to entertain, and on Thanksgiving, Cora and Alice host their first dinner party. Anyone who is anyone is there, enjoying the food, playing on the piano, dancing and drinking and playing games. It's a fantastical night, and a great house warming party that lasts well into the night. As they tumble to bed after midnight, together, in their apartment, their bedroom, their joint bed, Alice feels truly happy. Now the two of them can work on getting Cora's career on track, so that they both can be equally successful.

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