where?”
“Chicago,” I said. “That’s where they live.”
“You’re going to Chicago?”
“Yep.”
“Did you call them?”
“No, I didn’t call them! They got rid of me,” I reminded her, peeling the lid from the spread container. “They don’t want anything to do with me!”
“That’s not true,” she argued. “One of them is looking for you on that site!”
“It’s probably not even the same person . . .”
“If you’d register and send them a message then you’d know if it was the same person.”
“If I register and send them a message,” I said, “then they’re going to think I’m looking for them.”
“If you’re not looking for them,” she said, “why are you going to Chicago?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted.
“What are you going to do exactly?” she asked. “Are you going to fly up there and knock on their door or something?”
“I’m not sure,” I repeated.
“You don’t have a plan?
“No,” I said, picking up a hush puppy and dipping it into the spread. “I just know that I get my first paycheck in three weeks and I know exactly what I’m going to spend it on.”
The next day Hale and Anneka and I helped Emily move. Denise was around all day, watching us as we made trip after trip. She seemed more sulky than normal and barely said one word as she sat on the couch and watched us all work. She certainly didn’t offer to lift a finger to help.
“What is up with that chick?” Anneka asked, nodding her head toward the apartment when all four of us found ourselves together in the parking lot at one point. “She’s so freakin’ weird!”
“No she’s not,” Emily said, shaking her head. “She’s just sort of socially challenged, you know?”
“Emily and I were talking about profiling people yesterday,” I told Anneka. Then I pointed toward the apartment. “ That’s someone who needs to be profiled.”
Emily swatted me, and everybody laughed, but I honestly was more than a little pleased that Emily wasn’t going to be living with Denise anymore.
After we’d finished moving everything, Hale and Anneka said good-bye and left to get Molly, who had spent the afternoon at a friend’s house. Emily and I ordered a pizza and sat down on the floor of her new living room to eat since the kitchen table and the coffee table both had stuff stacked all over them.
“Have you thought any more about exactly what you’re going to do when you get to Chicago?” Emily asked, pulling two paper towels off a roll and handing one to me.
“No.” I picked up a banana pepper that had fallen onto my jeans and popped it into my mouth. “I guess I’ll just find them and see how it goes.”
“Do you know where they work?” she asked.
“I know where she works,” I said. “She’s a bigwig in some big architectural firm.”
“She’s a partner,” Emily corrected me.
I looked at her in surprise.
“How did you know that?” I asked.
She shrugged. “You’re not the only one who can dig around.”
I stared at her.
“Did you ever find out what your dad does?” she asked.
I shook my head no.
“I think he’s a speech pathologist,” she said, pulling out her phone. She showed me a picture of what appeared to be the same man I’d seen with Charlotte at the charity function. He was wearing a tie and a jacket, and the caption read, Jordan Clemmons, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, Assistant Director of Darrow Speech and Language Clinics. I stared at it for a moment and then handed it back to her.
“He’s not out there anywhere near as much as she is,” Emily admitted. “It was a lot harder to find him.”
I nodded, unsure what to say.
“So I came up with a plan.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.” She seemed surprised that I had expected any less of her. “Charlotte does a lot of volunteer work to help Christian families that are trying to adopt.”
“Right,” I said dryly. “Because she’s such a huge fan of adoption.”
“Anyway,” Emily went on,
“Chicago,” I said. “That’s where they live.”
“You’re going to Chicago?”
“Yep.”
“Did you call them?”
“No, I didn’t call them! They got rid of me,” I reminded her, peeling the lid from the spread container. “They don’t want anything to do with me!”
“That’s not true,” she argued. “One of them is looking for you on that site!”
“It’s probably not even the same person . . .”
“If you’d register and send them a message then you’d know if it was the same person.”
“If I register and send them a message,” I said, “then they’re going to think I’m looking for them.”
“If you’re not looking for them,” she said, “why are you going to Chicago?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted.
“What are you going to do exactly?” she asked. “Are you going to fly up there and knock on their door or something?”
“I’m not sure,” I repeated.
“You don’t have a plan?
“No,” I said, picking up a hush puppy and dipping it into the spread. “I just know that I get my first paycheck in three weeks and I know exactly what I’m going to spend it on.”
The next day Hale and Anneka and I helped Emily move. Denise was around all day, watching us as we made trip after trip. She seemed more sulky than normal and barely said one word as she sat on the couch and watched us all work. She certainly didn’t offer to lift a finger to help.
“What is up with that chick?” Anneka asked, nodding her head toward the apartment when all four of us found ourselves together in the parking lot at one point. “She’s so freakin’ weird!”
“No she’s not,” Emily said, shaking her head. “She’s just sort of socially challenged, you know?”
“Emily and I were talking about profiling people yesterday,” I told Anneka. Then I pointed toward the apartment. “ That’s someone who needs to be profiled.”
Emily swatted me, and everybody laughed, but I honestly was more than a little pleased that Emily wasn’t going to be living with Denise anymore.
After we’d finished moving everything, Hale and Anneka said good-bye and left to get Molly, who had spent the afternoon at a friend’s house. Emily and I ordered a pizza and sat down on the floor of her new living room to eat since the kitchen table and the coffee table both had stuff stacked all over them.
“Have you thought any more about exactly what you’re going to do when you get to Chicago?” Emily asked, pulling two paper towels off a roll and handing one to me.
“No.” I picked up a banana pepper that had fallen onto my jeans and popped it into my mouth. “I guess I’ll just find them and see how it goes.”
“Do you know where they work?” she asked.
“I know where she works,” I said. “She’s a bigwig in some big architectural firm.”
“She’s a partner,” Emily corrected me.
I looked at her in surprise.
“How did you know that?” I asked.
She shrugged. “You’re not the only one who can dig around.”
I stared at her.
“Did you ever find out what your dad does?” she asked.
I shook my head no.
“I think he’s a speech pathologist,” she said, pulling out her phone. She showed me a picture of what appeared to be the same man I’d seen with Charlotte at the charity function. He was wearing a tie and a jacket, and the caption read, Jordan Clemmons, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, Assistant Director of Darrow Speech and Language Clinics. I stared at it for a moment and then handed it back to her.
“He’s not out there anywhere near as much as she is,” Emily admitted. “It was a lot harder to find him.”
I nodded, unsure what to say.
“So I came up with a plan.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.” She seemed surprised that I had expected any less of her. “Charlotte does a lot of volunteer work to help Christian families that are trying to adopt.”
“Right,” I said dryly. “Because she’s such a huge fan of adoption.”
“Anyway,” Emily went on,
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