“I’m fine.”

“I’m glad to hear that. You’re not being a pain in your brother’s butt, are you?”

Lovey bit her lip. “Yeah, I probably am.”

“Lovey.”

“I know, I know. I’m trying not to get in his way. Much. I’m going to look at an apartment tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Mom’s doubtful tone made her sigh. “It’ll be fine, Mom. I’m excited about living here. I’m going to make new friends and it’ll be great.”

“You always are so optimistic about things.”

“You think I shouldn’t be?”

“No! That’s not what I meant. It’s good that you’re optimistic. You don’t let things get you down for long. You’re always upbeat and positive. It’s why people like to be around you.”

“Aw. Thanks, Mom.” Her words of praise surprised Lovey for some reason. She didn’t think people liked to be around her particularly, although she’d always had lots of friends, and she supposed she’d been considered popular in school. She just liked to have fun, and she liked to do it with other people.

They chatted a bit more before ending the call. Lovey moved the laundry from washer to dryer in the small laundry room, then got ready to go out. The managers of the apartment she’d checked out online had emailed her back that they had one studio available for the first of January. That was still a long time away, but when she’d checked others, she mostly came across the same thing. She’d found one apartment for immediate sublet, but it was far away from Duncan and she preferred to be at least somewhat close to the only family she had in the city, not to mention close to business and shopping and nightlife. So she had an appointment to look at the studio apartment that afternoon.

—

It turned out to be decent. It was an older building that had recently been remodeled, so it had a bit of character, with big baseboards and door casings, hardwood floors, and cove ceilings. A big window in the living room looked onto a tree-lined street from the third floor. The kitchen was tiny but also remodeled with nice white cabinets and black countertops, and new appliances, and there was space for her small dining table.

The guy who showed it to her told her she should put down a deposit to hold it because apartments in this price range went really fast. She didn’t like the pressure—but on the other hand, her gut told her he was probably right, so she wrote a check and took the leasing agreement to fill it out. Yipes.

Once again, she wished she had someone to talk to about all this. She ended up messaging Jillian that she’d found an apartment and Jillian suggested they get together tomorrow night. She’d get her other girlfriends to come. So that was good. She had Friday night plans.

Another thing she did while Marc and Duncan were gone was sign up for a cooking class. She needed to meet new people, and cooking was something she liked but could learn more about. So next week she would be learning how to make fresh spring rolls.

And she also watched hockey games while they were gone. The novelty of having a big brother playing in the NHL had worn off years ago, so she no longer watched all his games, though she did cheer for the Aces, and when it was playoff time, she was really into it. But this time, she found herself watching…Marc.

Friday night she met Jillian at a little restaurant about halfway between their homes. She was so excited to go out in the big city with some girls and was looking forward to meeting Jillian’s friends. Lovey was realizing that her business plan might not be giving her the interaction with live people she seemed to need. Sure, she had online friends and acquaintances, and she was keeping in touch with her friends in Madison, but with Duncan and Marc gone and the condo empty and quiet, she was going out of her mind. She loved what she was doing and she wanted to succeed, but she’d need to find ways to interact with people.

It would come. She’d go to cooking classes and maybe some other kinds of activities—yoga or kickboxing. Join a gym. Marc could probably give her advice about a gym. She’d tell him she wanted to meet guys who were very fit. Thinking of his reaction to this made her smile.

Jillian and her friends Leigh and Dior were in the restaurant waiting for her, with drinks already in front of them. Jillian made introductions and they all said hello. Lovey took off her coat and scarf and ordered a lemon daiquiri.

“I’ve been so excited about this all day!” she told them. “I’ve been alone this week since my brother and his roommate are on a road trip. They play for the Aces,” she explained to Leigh and Dior. “I’ve been busy, but I need to be with people!”

They all grinned. “Well, here you go,” Dior said. “Lots of people.”

“This is a nice place.” She looked around the bar, taking in the old brick of one wall, exposed rafters and ductwork above, an inside wall featuring a floor-to-ceiling display of wines in a clear glass cooler.

“One of our favorite Friday night places,” Leigh shared. “Great drinks and food, and usually lots of hot guys.”

“Awesome! And speaking of hot guys…what’s happening with Hakim?” She looked at Jillian.

“Eh. He’s nice enough. We had fun skating. He’s no hockey player, though.”

Lovey grinned. “Didn’t know you had a thing for hockey players.”

“I don’t.” Jillian smiled back. “But after seeing your brother and his teammates that night, it was kind of a letdown skating with someone a little less…proficient.”

“Hockey players are hot,” Leigh said. “If you want to be friends with us, you’ll have to introduce us to your brother.”

She said it in a way that was utterly charming and Lovey laughed again. “I can do that. I was talking to my mom yesterday and she was all disappointed that he’s not seeing anyone. I told her I’d work on it. Of course, I don’t know why anyone would be interested in him, he’s such a redneck goof.” She rolled her eyes.

“He’s your brother,” Jillian said. “Of course you wouldn’t see him as attractive. But I can tell you, he definitely is.”

Lovey gave her a look, raised eyebrows, chin down. “What? Seriously?”

“He’s good-looking and seriously built. Nice guy. I liked him, not sure if there was any spark there.”

“I’d like to find out if there’s any spark,” Dior said.

“Okay, girls, I will definitely introduce you, but I have to say this—if you’re interested in my brother or any of his friends just because of their money, I will stab you with a sharp object. Okay?”

“Okay,” they all agreed without taking any offense.

“I like you.” Lovey smiled at them. “We can be friends.”

Everyone laughed. Lovey’s drink arrived. “Dior, you have a beautiful name,” she said. “Are you named after Christian Dior?”

“Yeah, my mom loves fashion.”

“Apparently you do too.” Lovey nodded at her outfit. “Gorgeous. Hey! Would you let me take a picture of you and put it on my blog?”

They all looked at her with wide eyes. She explained about her blog and how she was going to be looking for more style inspiration in Chicago.

“Um…I don’t know,” Dior said. “I guess it would be okay.”

“I’d need you to sign a release,” Lovey said. “Just to make it legal. You’re beautiful. I’d love to show off your style.”

“How can I say no to that?” she joked. “I love clothes. Too much.” She grimaced. “My credit card company loves me for that, but I need to be careful.”

“I hear you,” Lovey agreed. “My weakness isn’t just clothes. I love all pretty things. Sensual things—even candles that smell nice. But thrift shops and junk stores are a great source for pretty things. Repurposed. Half my furniture in my apartment is ancient stuff that I’ve refinished or repainted. I don’t have much money either, so I kind of had to find a way to have nice things that didn’t cost a fortune.”

“I love thrift stores!” Leigh said. “I’ll show you my favorites. There are also some consignment shops here that have amazing designer stuff.”