Page 69 of Sycamore Circle

“Is Bo coming over tonight too?”

She nodded slowly. “He is.”

“Can I talk to him?”

“Of course, sweetie. He wants to get to know you.”

“I want to get to know him too.”

“That’s your choice. Whatever makes you most comfortable.” After taking a big drink of water, Joy finally relaxed a bit. “Now, how about you tell me about dance class last night and school today?”

“Well, it was canceled.”

“What? What did you do?”

“Don’t get mad, but I hung out at the diner and drank a vanilla malt.”

“Chloe...”

“I know I should’ve called Dad but if I had been driving myself and went to the diner neither of you would’ve cared.”

“I guess you have a point.”

“I know I do. I needed a break anyway, Mom.” She popped a pretzel in her mouth sipped some water, and then told Joy all about how Miss Diamanté always seemed to be in a bad mood, how the new ballet they were learning was hard but she might get a good part, and how her new toe shoes felt. Eventually, Chloe moved on to news about her dad’s house and how Tony had made chicken soup, but it wasn’t very good.

Joy sipped water and listened to story after story. She smiled and laughed and also tried her best to not let her imagination get the best of her. She couldn’t dwell on what might happen or who might be putting them in danger. Not at that moment.

All she could do was remind herself to treasure the moment she had with her child. It was a given that they would have fewer and fewer opportunities to sit in the park on a Thursday afternoon. Chloe would one day be off at college and their time together would just be a memory.

When they got home, Chloe went to her room to change, and Joy walked to the mailbox to pick up the day’s mail. There was another catalog, a water bill and another envelope with bold block letters printed on the front.

Bo had already warned her to not open any more letters so they could scan for prints. Hating the sight of it, she placed it in the center of the dining room table. She was chilled. Like she’d been out somewhere damp and cold and couldn’t get the chill out of her bones.

“Mom?”

She looked up. “Yes, honey?”

“Do you still love Dad at all?”

“What brought this on?”

Her daughter shrugged. “No reason.”

“There’s some reason.”

Worry filled her gaze. “Dad said that sometimes people change their minds. Like they’re out of love and then in again.”

Joy couldn’t believe Tony had said all that to their daughter. “Maybe that does happen with some people, but it hasn’t happened to us. It’s not going to, either.” Boy, she was going to give Tony a piece of her mind for spouting such nonsense and confusing Chloe. “We’re too different.”

“I know. But Dad said that he’s been thinking that maybe you two should try to patch things up.”

Tony was jealous, that was all there was to that. He was acting like a toddler: he didn’t want a toy until someone else wanted it too. For whatever reason, that was how he thought about her.

Joy took a seat at the table. “Come here.”

Chloe pulled out a chair across from her. “Yeah?”

“Listen. Remember when you were a little girl and your kindergarten teacher gave everyone a caterpillar to take home?”