Page 70 of February

“How was your flight?” she asked.

“Good.”

Yeah, he was eighteen. She’d been used to getting short responses from him since he’d been a pre-teen, so the one-word answer here wasn’t a big shock.

“Did you check anything?”

“No, it’s just two nights.” Aaron nodded down at his roller.

“I’ve got a car waiting,” Monica said. “Are you excited about the tour?”

They started walking toward the sliding glass doors of the airport.

“Yeah. I talked to Grandpa yesterday, and he was telling me about his time at school. He said if I wanted to go there, he could get me in.”

“He did, did he?” Monica rolled her eyes at her father. “Well, let’s focus on you getting in on your own, okay? And you know it’s okay if you don’t go to a school that Grandma or Grandpa did, right? If you don’t like Tulane or LSU, you can go anywhere you want.”

“I know.” He shrugged a shoulder when they got outside, where the chauffeur stood, waiting to take his bag.

“And you need to keep in mind that it’s not just about the campus. You’ll be living in the city for at least four years. You need to like the city and feel like you can live here, too.”

“Mom, I know,” he said as he brushed his dirty blonde hair back from his eyes.

It had gotten too long, and he needed to get it cut. Had Lily cared at all about him visiting these schools and looking presentable, she would’ve had him cut it before he left.

“Aaron, do you maybe want to stop somewhere and get your hair cut? It’s looking pretty ragged there, buddy.”

“I’m growing it out,” he replied and opened the door of the car, not waiting for the driver to do it for him. When he moved to the side to let her get in first, Monica was grateful that he’d turned into a respectful young man. “I just didn’t put the stuff in it that keeps it down this morning because I had the early flight. You’re lucky I’m not in sweatpants and a T-shirt.”

Monica chuckled as she climbed into the car and said, “Well, let’s stop off at the store, then. You somehow managed to getmyhair, which makes no sense. We need the anti-frizz stuff for the humidity.”

“You don’t have any?” Aaron asked as he climbed in next to her, closing the door behind him.

“I think it’s almost gone,” she replied.

Their drive was mostly in silence. Monica had gotten a text from her assistant, referring her to an important contract, and Aaron had been content to look out the window and take in thecity. There wasn’t much traffic, so they got to the hotel quickly enough, and she checked him in. His room wasn’t a deluxe suite, but it was the Four Seasons, so it was still a very nice room. She walked him to it, and he let her in with his key.

“Cool. Thanks, Mom,” he said as he looked around. “Minibar?”

“Don’t even think about it. I get the bill.”

Aaron laughed and said, “I meant for, like, snacks and stuff.”

“It’s theand stuffyou better not take.”

He laughed again and replied, “It’s cool. Can we stop somewhere and get snacks, then? I’m hungry.”

“We can snack, or we can get breakfast.”

“Room service?” he asked as he rolled his bag over to the rack and practically dropped it on top of it.

“I was thinking of a restaurant across the street. I’ve been there a couple of times, and it’s really good.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. After that, though, can I take a nap for a couple of hours? I had to wake up early because of the flight.”

“Of course. I’ll work while you do. Then, we can meet my friend and head to campus.”

“You have a friend?” he asked.

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