Girls' Night Out Quotes

“It’s all very well to tell us to forgive our enemies; our enemies can never hurt us very much. But oh, what about forgiving our friends?” —Willa Cather, My Mortal Enemy”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“To all the readers’ groups out there, we are so grateful for you. For getting the word out about books. And not just ours—everyone’s. Thank you for fostering and perpetuating a love of reading. Great Thoughts, Great Readers, Bunch of Book Baristas, Literary Love, Readers Coffeehouse, RW Book Club, Bookworms Anonymous, and Kristy Barrett of A Novel Bee—we adore you all. And a shout out to our favorite Bookstagrammers—Natasha Minoso (@bookbaristas), Vilma Gonzalez (@vilmairisblog), Abby Endler (@crimebythebook), Chelsea Humphrey (@suspensethrill), Jen Cannon (@literarylove), Samantha “Sam” Ellen (@cluesandreviews), Kate Olsen (@theloudlibrarylady), Athena Kaye (@athena.kaye), Suzanne Leopold (@suzanneleopold), Kayleigh Wilkes (@bookish.mama13), Uma Kayla G (@booklover12), Bethany Clark (@blclark513), Courtney Marzilli (@blissbeautybooks), Julie Caldwell (@juliejustreads), and Jaymi Couch (@bookfairies_oc). And to amazing book champions Jen Lynette, Deborah Blanchard, Barbara Khan, Bianca O’Brien, Sharlene Moore, Cindy Burnett, Marilyn Grable, Linda Zagon, and Jenny Collins Belk. And so many more! We appreciate every one of you. And always, special love to Jenny Tropea O’Regan (@jenny_oregan).”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“His eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn’t sleeping—that he was afraid to fall asleep. He told her the pain of waking up and remembering was almost worse than living with it while he was awake.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“Natalie’s lip curled. She took another step toward her, her face within inches of Ashley—she could see the whites of her eyes.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“She had no idea what the rest of her life looked like. It could be behind bars in a prison in Mexico. It could be discovering the awful depths of what she might be capable of. It could be back home with her family. It could be a million different things. But it would never include Ashley. And that thought was sadder than any other.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“Natalie stood over him and rubbed his back, tears streaming down her cheeks as she listened to him moaning. Here she was, worried about clearing her name when Ashley was dead. Petrified she might be thrown in a prison in Mexico for the rest of her life. What kind of friend did that make her?”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“Okay,” he said, unconvincingly. She saw him wringing his hands under the bar.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“She ran her hand along another sign—this one read “Tapas, Musica & Mas.” She blew out a long breath, thinking they’d all gotten mas than they’d bargained for last night. That was for sure.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“She heard Ashley laughing. She saw her flip her hair, which she’d worn loose around her face.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“She felt bad she hadn’t talked to him yet, but a part of her was holding off because of what he might say—the same thing she’d been thinking: that Ashley might have disappeared so she could sabotage the deal.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“Before this trip Lauren would have never questioned Natalie this way, but it was as if the curtain had been pulled back to reveal a friendship and partnership between Natalie and Ashley that was far from as perfect as Lauren once believed.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“And he never laid a hand on me again. But he still makes me feel small in other ways. Especially since the Revlon offer came in. He’s so damn angry I won’t sell and bail his restaurant out of debt again.” Ashley’s voice cracked as she said the last words. “He tells me constantly that I’m a terrible mother. That he never should have married me. I convince myself they’re just words. That they can’t hurt me.” Her eyes filled with tears. “But it breaks me a little bit every day.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“Lauren began to cry again, and Ashley reached out to grab her hand, grasping it tightly. “And maybe when I realized how bad things were for you, I thought, I can’t help myself, but I can help her. You didn’t have kids . . .” Her voice caught, but she pressed forward. “And I couldn’t let you live with that fear any longer. I didn’t want you to feel small. You deserve better. We both do.” Ashley finished and stared at Lauren, her eyes wide. She had laid her heart open, much like Ashley envisioned the warriors who’d once been sacrificed in this temple had. It was just for a moment, but she felt empowered. The truth was out there now, for better or for worse.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“You know what the worst part is, Ash? I actually thought you’d have gained some perspective after a year.” The accusation hit her hard, and she felt her knees begin to shake slightly, realizing that Lauren’s anger toward her was still deeply embedded. Understanding that she might never be able to change that.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“He walked toward the edge and motioned for them to join him. “Below us are the chambers that were discovered in the pyramid under this one. Inside they found a chacmool, which is a statue that represents human sacrifice, and a jaguar throne.” He pulled a book from his fanny pack, flipped it open, and showed them pictures. Lauren took in the eerie eyes of the jaguar and felt a shiver pass through her. “As I mentioned, this entire structure—and everything under it—is very spiritual. Follow me,” Felipe said, then walked inside. Ashley followed. Lauren hesitated.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“She wished she could bottle this feeling—take it home with her. It made her feel strong. Like she might finally conquer her own demons.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“It is believed the pyramid was built around 800 AD. It has ninety-one steps on each of its four sides. There are ninety-one days between each annual solar cycle—winter solstice, spring equinox, summer solstice, and fall equinox. So, if you take the four cycles per year, which is ninety-one times four, that equals three hundred and sixty-four days. Then you add the top step.” “That makes it three-hundred sixty-five. It matches up to our calendar,” Natalie said, and Felipe nodded. “Sí. And what’s also quite amazing is the alignment of the pyramid is such that in the late afternoon of March 21, the low sun casts a shadow resembling a wriggling snake. Thousands of people come during the spring equinox each year to watch the feathered serpent god appear to crawl down the side of the pyramid and illuminate one of the serpent heads at the bottom.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“Felipe shook his head at Lauren’s speculation about the Mayan warriors. “It’s hard to say if they were hoping to lose so they could be sacrificed. There are just as many who have looked at those same carvings on the walls and have interpreted them differently—believing that it was actually the winner who was sacrificed. That it was a great honor.” “So who should we believe?” Lauren asked. “Like anything in life, it is up to you. Your thoughts are your own.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“At the funeral she’d felt almost as if she were acting the part of the widow—her true feelings of grief just beyond reach, blocked by her irrational anger. But here, surrounded by the spirits of hundreds of thousands of people, she felt him. She felt connected, the conflicted feelings she’d often experienced while he was alive filling her thoughts. How he swung from affection to anger in the blink of an eye, the very smallest things setting him off. Lauren had often felt as if she were walking a tightrope—one small deviance and she’d get badly hurt. She truly hoped he was settled now—that his death had ultimately brought him peace. In life, it had eluded him.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“Natalie frowned slightly, unsure how to respond. She felt exhausted by her own problems. The one with Ashley felt far away. But she needed to push herself to be here in this moment. To focus on their friendship. That was going to be the key to solving her financial problems.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“She stood there until the ominous cloud was directly overhead, and let her tears mix with the rain it brought, finally composing herself and walking back to where Lauren sat, as if the world she’d built wasn’t crumbling.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“Yucatán Peninsula looks good on you.” Marco smiled. “Life doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. You don’t have to settle for where you’ve ended up. From what you’ve told me about Jason, it doesn’t sound good between you guys.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“If she hadn’t married Jason, they wouldn’t exist. And even though motherhood hadn’t been something she adapted to instantly—in fact, in many ways she was still adjusting to it, often feeling like she got it wrong far more than she got it right—she was still their mom.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“What time was it?” Natalie asked, thinking hard. Had she and Ashley and Marco gone to the hotel’s beach? Was that why she’d woken up there? Had Natalie been the one screaming? Had it been Ashley? Her heart pounded as she cataloged all the reasons either of them would have been yelling in the ocean in the middle of the night. Natalie thought about the way her chest clenched each time Ben asked if she’d convinced Ashley to be reasonable about Revlon. Each time she thought about not selling. Being stuck there.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“She thought about what Maria had said. That guests of the hotel had heard someone in the water last night. There had been an urgency in the front desk attendant’s voice. Natalie could still see the sand caked on her legs and feel her wet dress clinging to her body. Was there a connection between what the guests heard and Natalie sleeping on the beach? Something had started to nag at her gut in Marco’s apartment.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“Ashley had a bad habit of leading men on unintentionally. Natalie had watched her effortlessly wrap them around her finger, whether it was the rotund FedEx guy wearing Coke-bottle glasses or the incredibly handsome head of publicity at QVC. She sometimes seemed like a heat-seeking missile for others, as if absorbing their energy made her more powerful. Was that all this was with Marco? Or was Ashley feeling something for him?”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“Geoff had been constantly at odds with himself—the light within him at war with the dark. Stuck between the person he was, a man whose temper flared hot and hard, and the person he strived to be, a caring and peaceful husband. That had been the most difficult thing to accept: that the hope Geoff could change, a notion Lauren had clung to for years, would now never come to fruition. That all of Lauren’s bruises would fade, as would the memory of how she got each one, a twist of an arm, a push into a wall, a hurl onto the hard floor. Yes, she understood that the notion was crazy that a controlling, physically abusive man could change. But it was the one thing that had kept Lauren going until his death.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“Lauren listened to the instructor’s smooth voice as she asked them to focus on their intention for the hour. Lauren already knew what hers should be: forgiveness. Her therapist had told her that. She should come on this trip so she could forgive and hopefully be forgiven. Last night, after the mezcal margaritas on the beach, she was sure she could do it. In fact, she’d almost turned to Ashley and said it. But in the end she’d held her tongue, not wanting to have the conversation in front of Natalie. Not wanting her to be a part of it. Wanting it to be something she and Ashley shared privately. But there was no such thing as something special between her and Ashley.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“I was born in Mexico, but lived in the States until a year ago, when I came back to Tulum for a yoga retreat and never left.” “People really do that?” Ashley asked. Something tugged at her stomach when she thought of going back home. Of facing Jason. “People really do that,” the man repeated. “I did that. It was pretty easy, actually.” “Why?” she asked, then backpedaled when she saw his face. “Sorry, that’s probably too personal.” “No, no. It’s okay. I wish I had some big exciting story for you, but I don’t. I just wanted to try a different life.” Try a different life. Ashley would have shaken her head at that idea not that long ago, but lately she found herself questioning almost every decision she’d made”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out

“In fact, Natalie could count on one hand the number of times Ash had been late. Ten minutes early, even.”
― Liz Fenton, Girls' Night Out