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The next morning, Kennedy made everyone breakfast before they left. She spent the rest of the day cleaning up her apartment. She didn’t realize how much they had drank; it looked as though they had a booze fest. Once she finished cleaning, she started her laundry. She had nothing clean left for the trip they were about to take.

  Just as she put the last piece of clothing in the washer, her phone rang. She had to dig through her purse to find it. She thought it would have been her mother calling, but it was Claire.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey Kennedy! It’s Claire.”

  “Oh, hey Claire. How’ve you been?”

  “I’m great. How are you?”

  “Pretty good. How’s the family?” It was Kennedy’s way of asking about Emmerick without actually asking about him.

  “Mostly good. Rachel is expecting another baby and Em… Well, Em’s been partying a lot.”

  “Oh, wow! Tell Rachel I said congratulations. Her and her husband must be excited!” Kennedy didn’t much want to hear about Emmerick’s partying.

  “I will. They are excited. She’s hoping for a girl, and he wants a boy. Go figure.”

  “Yeah, go figure.”

  “Reason I’m calling…I’m at Main and Liberty, and don’t know where to eat.”

  Kennedy laughed. What a weird reason for Claire to call. “Well, what’s in the area that you like?”

  “See, that’s just it. I don’t know the area and I was hoping I could get a local to help me out.”

  “Then why are you—” She finally understood. “Wait! Main and Liberty? As in, Main and Liberty in Ann Arbor?!”

  Claire laughed, “Took you long enough.”

  “Oh my God, Claire! Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

  “Well, I didn’t think you would be so slow.”

  “What brings you to my neck of the woods?” Kennedy’s mind was racing.

  “We’ll talk about that when you get here.”

  “I just have to change, then—” Would she do that to me? “Wait. I have to ask. This isn’t some ploy of Emmerick’s is it? You’re alone?”

  Claire laughed. “Kennedy. You’re insane. It’s just me. He still doesn’t even know what state you live in.”

  Kennedy felt slightly embarrassed. “Sorry, but I had to ask.”

  “Don’t suppose you’re ready to explain your weirdness about that?” Claire knew it was a long shot, but she had to fish.

  “I’m going to have to go with a big no on that one.”

  “Then get your ass down here. I’m starving.”

  “How are you dressed? I mean, are you suitable for a fancy restaurant.”

  “Yeah. I’m dressed for work.”

  “Work? What do you mean?”

  “We’ll talk about that when you get here!”

  “Right, right, sorry. Go to the Chop House. Get us a table. I should be there in about fifteen minutes.” Kennedy was already pulling on a pair of dressy pants.

  After she hung up the phone, she searched her closet for a suitable top then ran out the door. Parking was always awful in town, and she didn’t want to make Claire wait too long.

  Kennedy found a parking space and walked two blocks to the restaurant. She told the concierge that she was meeting Claire there, and he showed her to the table.

  Claire stood when she saw Kennedy approach. “Oh my God, Kennedy!” She pulled her into a hug.

  Kennedy laughed. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

  “I know! I’m just glad you’re in town!” Claire said as she sat back down.

  Kennedy followed suit. “You’re lucky. I’m about to go on a long trip.”

  “Ooh, where to?”

  “Paige wanted me to take a trip with a few of my closest friends. We decided on Santa Fe. But enough about me. What are you doing in Ann Arbor?”

  “Speaking engagement at U of M.”

  “Speaking engagement? For what?”

  The waiter interrupted for their order.

  As soon as he walked away, Kennedy implored, “Well?”

  “I work at an art museum. They’ve got me traveling around to all sorts of college campuses talking to art history majors.”

  “That’s pretty cool. I didn’t know you were into art history.”

  “Yeah, I took the class for my gen ed then changed my major.”

  “What were you going for?”

  The waiter set down their drinks.

  “Business and communications. I was going to go to work for my dad. Then I took that class.”

  “I bet he was happy about that.”

  Claire laughed. “It wasn’t too much of a letdown. He never really figured me for that kind of work anyways.”

  “What kind of things do you have to talk about?”

  “Just the standard things: What’s going on in the art history world today, what kind of jobs there are for art history majors, the museum’s opinion on the greatest contributors to the different genres throughout the last millennia.”

  “Right, just the standard things,” Kennedy jeered. She continued to quiz Claire about her job. She had always wondered what exactly art history graduates did other than work in a museum.

  After the waiter brought their food, Claire turned the tables and grilled Kennedy. “How long will you be in Santa Fe?”

  “About a month.”

  “Wow, and your friends are able to get away from work that long?”

  Kennedy smirked. “This is about the eighth attempt to take the trip.”

  Claire laughed. “Oh, I guess not then.”

  “It’s not really a problem for Mary. We work together with the same boss. It’s Abbey and Jen who are causing the problems. Abbey in particular; she has a hectic life.”

  “What are you going to do once you get there? I mean, does your boss tell you what you have to do while you’re there? Or do you get to make it up as you go along?”

  “No, Paige pretty much lets me have free reign, but I try to have some sort of plan. I don’t want to go in blind. There’s no way of knowing what would happen if I did that.”

  “Since you brought him up…”

  “Brought who up?”

  “Emmerick.”

  “I didn’t bring him up.”

  “Not directly, but he was implied.”

  Kennedy opened her mouth to disagree but had no argument to give.

  “It’s just, he’s been partying a lot. Like, a lot, a lot.”

  “And?” Kennedy wanted to know where Claire was going with this.

  “And I just can’t help but wonder. If you could maybe come see him…”

  “Clai—”

  “Or at least call! Can’t you befriend him after all this time?”

  “What makes you think I could help? Not that I will. You have to trust me that it’s better like this. What happened happened over a year ago. It’s in the past. It needs to stay there. Besides, he’s got all his family to help him out. He listens to you guys. He loves you.”

  “He misses you. We’ve tried to tell him to forget about you, and he acts like he has, but it’s pretty obvious. He finally stopped asking me about you about six months ago, but his behavior changed. He’s reverting back to his college antics.”

  Claire’s words felt like a dull knife slicing through her chest. “Even if I do talk to him, it will just happen again. You’d just be postponing the inevitable.”

  Claire looked down in defeat. She didn’t expect Kennedy to do anything, but she had to try. She was worried about her brother.

  Kennedy was worried about him too, but she tried to ignore it. “The best I can do is to tell you that I think he’s an idiot for acting like an immature prat, and he needs to grow up and act his age.” Kennedy took a drink of water. “And if you think it will help to tell him I said that, go ahead.”

  Claire smiled at her. “Thanks Kennedy. I know that will help. He cares more about what you think than what we do.”

  “That’s insane.”

  “I know.”


  They ate in silence until Kennedy broke it. “When is Rachel due?”

  Claire’s face lit up. “Next March. Mom’s crossing her fingers for a St. Patty’s baby." The awkwardness blew over and they continued talking through dinner and eventually dessert.

  Kennedy was sad to see Claire go, but she had an early flight to the next college campus, so they said goodbye fairly early. When Kennedy got home, she finished doing the laundry before calling it a night.

  Her next morning was spent packing her bags. She had to pick up a rental car and then her friends before noon, and she didn’t have much time.

  Her cab arrived while she was looking for her phone charger. Once found, she shoved it in her bag and ran out the door.

  She had taken so many trips over the last year that she had her very own cabbie. In the beginning, it was random coincidence that he was the one to show up. After a while, they developed a bond and she started requesting him. Even though she knew he wouldn’t mind, she didn’t want him to have to wait for her for too long.

  Kennedy put her bags in the trunk before sliding into the back seat. “Hey Mitch.”

  “Hi sweetheart. Where to?”

  Some people may have found it derogatory that he called her sweetheart, but she knew him well enough. He was like a long lost uncle. “That car rental place on Michigan Avenue.”

  “Where you off to this time?”

  “Santa Fe. Girls trip.”

  “That’s pretty far. How come you’re not flying?”

  “It’s not always about the destination, Mitch. You should know that. Sometimes it’s about the journey too.”

  Mitch laughed. “True, but do you really think it’s safe for a couple of girls to travel across the country alone?”

  “Oh, Mitch. You’re not worried, are you?” Kennedy teased.

  “What can I say? I’ve grown partial to you after all this time.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got my pepper spray and pocket knife. Plus, Jen knows kickboxing.”

  Mitch chuckled. “I guess that will put my mind at ease.”

  “How’s the family? Madge still trying to get you to take those salsa lessons?”

  He sighed. “Yeah. She won’t give up on it.”

  “I think it’s sweet. You should give in already. The kids are all grown and out of the house. She needs you to keep her entertained now.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Mitch pulled the cab into the parking lot of the rental place. “Well, here we are. You take care, kid.”

  “I will Mitch. You too.” She got out of the cab. “I’ll give you a call when I’m back. That way I’ll have my ride home and you’ll know I made it.”

  He grunted back a chuckle. “See ya, sweetheart.”

  Kennedy gave Mitch the cab fare then closed the door and got her luggage out of the trunk.

  She rented a luxury convertible and was thankful the paper would be paying for it when she saw the price.

  She called Abbey and told her that she was on her way to pick her up, but she went to get Jen and Mary first. Even with the extra time, Abbey wasn’t quite ready when Kennedy pulled the car into her driveway.

  Jen ran in to get Abbey’s bags and had a hard time getting them to fit in the trunk with everyone else’s.

  Once they finally got on the road, it took a while for them to relax into the road trip. They planned on stopping overnight somewhere in Missouri, but when they got into Indiana, they decided to just rotate drivers and go straight to New Mexico. Kennedy took the beginning part of her break to jot down notes before dozing off. Car rides always put her to sleep.

  When she woke up she was leaning on Jen, who was also asleep, and they were just about to leave Illinois.

  “You guys didn’t stop to eat yet did you?”

  Mary laughed. “Yeah, Kennedy. We stopped and ate and you didn’t even notice.”

  “Sorry. Cars knock me out sometimes.” She yawned and stretched, waking Jen up. “I’m starving,” she said through a second yawn.

  Jen seconded her. “Me too. Let’s eat. I don’t even care where. I just need food.”

  Abbey pulled off the highway and into the first restaurant parking lot she saw. They spent over an hour eating before taking off again, this time with Mary behind the wheel. Jen took the front passenger seat. She patrolled the radio and whenever a good sing-along song came on, she cranked it and they all sang.

  When it got dark, Jen took over the driving; she was a night owl anyway. Abbey fell asleep as Kennedy and Jen were discussing the different theories of the universe. Kennedy actually had a real interest in it, but Jen just played devil’s advocate to frustrate her. It usually worked.

  Eventually Kennedy fell back asleep and didn’t wake until Jen pulled off the road to switch drivers. It was Kennedy’s turn. She would drive as long as she could.

  It got a little spotty when no one else was awake to keep her alert. By the time the sun started rising, Abbey woke and was like a jolt of coffee in her own right.

  After they stopped for breakfast, Abbey took over driving. Kennedy fell asleep within minutes. So much for it being about the journey.

  Jen nudged Kennedy awake when they pulled into the hotel. All of the reservations were under her name since the paper was paying for the trip. Once they were all checked in, they unpacked their bags into the dressers. No sense in living out of a suitcase when they would be there for so long.

  After a round of much needed showers, the girls had lunch at the hotel restaurant and planned their day. Abbey wanted to go to an art museum and Jen wanted to make pottery. Apparently they had browsed the brochures while Kennedy was checking in.

  Mary suggested they compromise and do both, so after eating they found their way to the museum. Jen spent most of the time mocking Abbey, and Mary had to try hard not to laugh at her imitations.

  While Abbey was stopped at one of the sculptures, a man approached her.

  “He sure knew how to use his hands, didn’t he?”

  She turned to see who was talking to her.

  “Hi. Name’s Tyler.”

  Jen watched Abbey turn away without responding. “You’ll have to excuse my friend. She doesn’t know a masterpiece when she sees one,” said Jen.

  Tyler chuckled while still watching Abbey.

  “So, Tyler was it? I’m Jen. My friends and I are here on vacation. We just arrived this morning.”

  “Is that so?” He asked Abbey, but she was still ignoring him.

  “Any good nightlife around here?”

  “Not really. You have to go to Albuquerque to find anything fun.”

  “Oh yeah, like what?”

  He finally looked at Jen. “I don’t know. I guess either The Launchpad or Route 66.”

  “Well, where will you be tonight?”

  “Me and some buddies are thinking about going to Launchpad.”

  Kennedy and Mary approached the statue.

  “Awesome, we’ll be there.” Jen smiled

  Kennedy looked at Tyler then Jen. “Where will we be?”

  “Tell ya later,” Jen said from the side of her mouth. “It was nice meeting you, Tyler. I can’t wait to bump into you later.” Jen grabbed Abbey’s arm and led her away.

  “Great. See ya later.” He was confused about why they were walking away.

  So was Mary. “Why did you leave so suddenly?” she asked.

  “You have to keep them wondering,” Jen responded.

  Mary laughed. “I’m so glad I’m not single anymore.”

  “Why? It’s fun being single.”

  “Seems to me like it’s a lot of work and a bit more confusing than I remember.”

  Abbey finally spoke up, “Only if you’re Jen.”

  “I don’t know what your deal is, Abbey. That guy was hot! And he seemed to be into you,” Jen retorted.

  “What does it matter? He’s from Santa Fe. Not exactly a geological possibility.”

  Jen laughed. “Not every encounter has to be a serious, long-term one.”

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nbsp; “If you don’t plan on settling down, which clearly you don’t…”

  Jen opened her mouth to respond, but Kennedy cut in. “Easy girls. Put the claws away.”

  Instead of continuing to bicker, Jen spoke to Kennedy. “We’re going to Albuquerque tonight.”

  “What’s in Albuquerque?”

  Abbey responded, “He will be. I don’t really want to go, though. Maybe I’ll just turn in early.”

  “Don’t be such a fuddy duddy,” Jen teased.

  Rather than scold Jen, Kennedy agreed. “Yeah, Abs, you have to come! We’ll need all the help we can get keeping track of Jen.”

  “Yeah!” Jen agreed until she realized Kennedy had just made fun of her. “Wait a minute!”