the center. “Come on,” June said. “Let’s go see what this marriage thing is all about.”
Two
Chloe eased her eyes open and yawned. They were on the way back home from the wedding, the cab zipping along the Kennedy Expressway. June was fast asleep against Chloe’s arm, snoring softly, while Kristine sat by the window on the opposite side of her, reading.
Lowering the cab window, Chloe let the warm breeze whip through her hair as she squinted up at the skyline of Chicago. Sun glinted off the skyscrapers in reflections of blue and gold. She was happy to be back home.
Chloe loved Chicago. The bustle of the River Walk in the summer, the “we’ll survive this arctic freeze” camaraderie of the winter and the fact that she could hear live music, find an art fair or even seek out an academic lecture, all on a whim. It was good she’d fallen in love with the city, because June and Kristine would lie down in front of the U-Haul if she ever tried to leave.
At the thought, Chloe glanced at her mother. She was flipping through a travel guide, still trying to learn random facts about Michigan. As she turned a page, her wedding ring flashed in the sunlight.
“Mom,” Chloe whispered in an effort to not wake up June. “Hey! Happy anniversary.”
Kristine placed a finger in the book to hold her spot. “Twenty-five years. Can you believe it?”
“Of course I believe it.” Chloe’s parents were opposites, but something about them had always worked. “Is Dad taking you out tonight?”
Kristine smoothed down her white polo shirt. It still appeared crisp and fresh, even after the indignity of air travel. “He flew out today. It would be too hard, getting up at four tomorrow to catch a flight.”
Chloe’s father started working as a regional manager for a solar plant company after the company he’d been with forever laid him off. Chloe thought traveling four days a week would be brutal. Her father just joked it was a great opportunity to eat fried onion rings and drink beer at the airport without a lecture from Kristine.
“Any big plans for you tonight?” her mother asked.
Chloe laughed. “Yes. Working.”
“Working” was an understatement. She’d probably be up all night, finishing the two papers due first thing in the morning. With a full course load, internship hours and a part-time job at a kid’s gym, pulling all-nighters had become as normal as brushing her teeth. A small sacrifice, considering Chloe was so close to finishing up her art therapy degree. Once she’d accomplished that, her real life could begin.
As the cab screamed to a stop at a traffic light, June stirred. “Ugh,” she groaned.
Chloe laughed, patting her knee. “You gonna make it?”
June sat up straight and looked around. She beckoned at a man standing at the side of the road, selling bottles of water. Fumbling in her purse, she gave him a twenty.
“Three waters.” Her voice was scratchy. “The rest is for you.”
The man’s face lit up and he passed three icy bottles of water into the cab. “Ah,” June said, taking a grateful sip. “I was wilting.”
“That’s what you get for being a party animal,” Chloe said.
After the wedding, the guests migrated to a bar in downtown Traverse City. Chloe had a vague recollection of June standing on a table, waving that bouquet like a magic wand and screaming, “Who wants to marry my granddaughter?”
The text alert chimed on Chloe’s phone. “Ooh, is it a boy?” June peered over her shoulder.
“No, it’s not a boy,” Chloe said, checking the message. “It’s Ben.” Turning her phone toward her grandmother, she watched June’s lips move as she read: When are you home? I need you. Those same lips pursed.
“I need you.” June tsked, turning the phone to Kristine. “Can you believe this?”
“Does it . . . mean anything?” Kristine’s voice was annoyingly hopeful.
Kristine was always acting like Chloe should fall in love with her best friend from elementary school, but seriously. It was never going to happen. With the exception of a drunken feel-up after their first beer, she and Ben had never crossed that line. Their physical contact was limited to arm punches, high fives and the occasional friendship hug and they were both perfectly happy to keep it that way.
“I don’t understand.” Kristine pulled a bag of peanuts out of her purse and slit them open. “Why don’t you like him?”
June gave a little sniff. “He draws pictures for a living. What type of man does that?”