graphic artist, Grandma. Those pictures are actually designs.”
“And good ones,” Kristine said, nodding. “Ben made the sign for the store. And it’s beautiful.”
When Chloe went to college, Kristine surprised everyone by buying a travel bookstore. She wanted to do something with her time, since Chloe was gone and June had a life of her own. Chloe was proud of her mother, as what had started as a whim had become a passion.
“The sign is beautiful,” Chloe said, texting him back. “But Grandma’s just determined to hate him.”
“That’s not true.” June shook her head. “I simply said I question a man who draws pictures for a living. That’s not the type of man you want to marry.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Well, I don’t want to marry Ben. In fact, I don’t have time to date until I’m your age, which is pretty ancient, so I think we can all just relax until then.”
“Rubbish.” June took another swig of water. “Love is going to find you sooner than you think, Chloe. Some lucky man is going to woo you, whether you like it or not.”
“Woo-ooo?” Chloe drew out the word with as much disdain as possible. “I don’t even know what that is, but I can guarantee you I don’t have time for it.”
As though to prove it, Chloe yanked her drugstore-bought planner out of her bag. It was as dog-eared as a textbook. Every moment of her life was booked solid.
Kristine shook her head, eyeing the crazy schedule. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“Caffeine.” Chloe dropped the calendar back into her bag. “Lots and lots of caffeine.”
“That’s not good for you,” Kristine recited as though compelled to mother. Instructions to take vitamins, eat vegetables and say no to drugs seemed to show up at the most random times.
“Mom, caffeine’s not going to kill me.” And according to WebMD, the slight eye twitch Chloe had developed would go away when and if she backed off the diet soda.
“Well, solitude might kill you,” June said. “A girl your age should be out there dating. It’s a fact of life. One of these days you’ll find somebody.”
Kristine laughed. “And June will be right there to tell him he’s not good enough for you.”
Chloe stayed quiet for the rest of the ride. When the cab finally screamed to a halt in front of her apartment, she pasted on a big smile. “It was fun,” she said brightly. “I’ll see you soon.”
After repeated hugs, kisses and promises to call the next day, Chloe stepped out of the cab and stared up at her apartment building. “Thank goodness,” she sighed. Even though she loved hanging out with her family, the way they thought they knew everything about everything got pretty annoying.
Hoisting her bag over her shoulder, Chloe took the steps two at a time. She owed this particular apartment to Ben, as he’d called her the second his neighbor decided to move. Sure, the lobby smelled like onions and the “working elevator” had been on vacation since she’d moved in, but one of the apartment’s many bonuses was the fact that she got to live next door to her best friend.
Chloe’s keys had barely made a jingle in the lock when his door flew open.
Ben was dressed in a pair of flannel pajama pants and a ratty blue T-shirt. “Hey, neighbor.” He had a panicked look on his face. Freshly tanned from the weekend, he’d gotten a little too much sun on his nose. “I’ve been texting you. Happy birthday!” Desperately, he waved a bottle of champagne and two glasses at her.
“Uh . . .” Birthday? It was not her birthday and hadn’t been for at least three months.
A skinny arm snaked around Ben from behind, followed by the wispy body of a girl. She was wearing one of his button-up shirts and had a tumbleweed of blonde hair. Gauging by her carefully placed ringlet curls, the girl had an unnatural obsession with Taylor Swift.
“Hello,” the girl said, her voice icy.
Ben’s eyes widened. “Chloe, this is Sher . . . Shannon. She’s being super cool about the fact that I promised to celebrate your birthday with you. Right now.” The girl pinched Ben. “Unless . . .” His bright blue eyes looked tortured. “You want to reschedule? I’d really like to spend some more time with her.”
As a reward, the girl gripped Ben by the back of the head and pulled him in for a kiss. Ben’s hands flailed and the whole production reminded Chloe of