create for Serena but their mother had never worked very hard at creating for them. As Chloe pulled up to their mother’s gray rambler for brunch Sunday morning, the knots in her stomach tightened. Serena’s car was parked in the driveway behind their mother’s ancient beater. Their mother took care of her car about as well as she had of her daughters and everything else in her life.
Except maybe her boyfriends.
Chloe parked on the street, wondering if her mother’s newest boyfriend had already become an ex, didn’t have a vehicle, or was simply late, as she was. The kids had been so enthusiastic during orientation for the Junior/Senior Program, she’d gotten even more excited about the potential for other programs she hoped to initiate, and she’d gotten up early this morning to flesh out ideas. But her mind kept tracking back to Justin showing up out of the blue to dance with her last night, and before she’d realized it, she’d daydreamed away the morning and was running late.
She climbed from her car, and as she did every time she visited, she took stock of all the things about herself that were different from her mother and from her upbringing. She drove a car that was only four years old and she took good care of it. She always had food in her refrigerator and her pantry, and she’d learned how to cook—thank you, YouTube. As she made her way up the walk, she glanced down at her cute cap-sleeved green top, white shorts, and strappy sandals, none of which were secondhand. Not that she had anything against secondhand clothes. She loved shopping at thrift stores. But she didn’t have to, and that was important to her. She and Serena had lived in ill-fitting secondhand clothes for so many years, not wearing them had been a goal of hers when she was young.
She climbed the front steps, and her gaze drifted over the narrow patches of dirt and weeds beneath the windows. She couldn’t remember them ever having been planted with flowers or bushes, and she proudly thought about her own bountiful gardens.
Chloe had always thought her mother simply hadn’t earned enough money to make a happy home. But eventually she’d learned the truth. She’d lived at home during her first two years at community college in order to watch over Serena. But when Serena went away to school, Chloe left as well, to finish her last two years elsewhere. She’d quickly realized how little it took to make a happy home. The absence of feeling neglected had been enough to allow her to relax and enjoy her surroundings, no matter how unimpressive.
As she stepped onto the porch, the door swung open and Serena exclaimed, “Yay! You’re here!”
Chloe had never been bubbly and boisterous like Serena. She didn’t know if that was because she’d always had so much responsibility on her shoulders or if it was simply the way she was wired. She had a feeling it was the latter, and she’d always been a little envious of that carefree effervescence and the way it made everything seem lighter and more exciting.
“Sorry I’m late,” Chloe said as she hugged her sister. “I lost track of time.”
Serena’s bracelets jangled as she stepped outside. She looked fashionable and pretty in a flowy white top and blue shorts. When they were young, Serena was always trying to find ways to fit in with the girls in school who wore nicer clothes. As a teenager, she’d decided to start her own trend and had drawn all over her jeans. Sure enough, like everything else her brilliant and creative younger sister put her mind to, Serena’s trend-starting dream became reality, and soon all the girls were getting in trouble for writing on their jeans. Except Serena, of course, because their mother never even noticed.
“Daphne said you and Justin were dirty dancing last night,” Serena said in a hushed tone. “Did you hook up? Is that why you’re late?”
“I swear the gossip at Bayside is ridiculous. No, we did not hook up. I was working.” A little white lie to keep from getting interrogated about her daydreams wasn’t that bad, was it?
“Bummer.” Serena pulled Chloe inside and whispered, “Tony hasn’t arrived yet, but Mom swears he’s coming.”
As Chloe put her purse on the table by the door she noticed a big plastic bag on the floor beneath it. “Is that the luau stuff?”
“Yes. I told you I wouldn’t let you down. I found the grass skirt