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loud and profane terms, but he was looking much more cheerful as he did.

Chapter 9
    E mily drove to work with a smile on her face for the first time in weeks. She was feeling a lot better after her friends ambushed her. Their intervention had lifted some of the weight of the depression she’d been unsuccessfully trying to ignore since the end of her disastrous vacation. Now instead of feeling angry, bitter and gullible all day long, she felt bitter when she woke up and gullible before she went to bed. That left her a whole day in between to feel like a normal person, a person who hadn’t been duped in the worst possible way. Pretty soon she would be feeling better in the mornings. Then she’d be feeling better at bedtime, and then she’d be done with the whole thing.
    She parked her Mini Cooper in the faculty lot and walked to her building to get ready for her early class. One thing hadn’t changed: her love for her work. The fact that she’d let her guard down and gotten her heart smashed to atoms wasn’t going to ruin her career. She was actually smiling when she entered the science building. Exchanging greetings with her fellow professors and various students lifted her spirits even more, until she got to her office and found yet another huge potted plant awaiting her. She didn’t bother to look at the card; she knew the name of the sender perfectly well.
    She put her leather tote bag in its usual place and turned on her computer, talking to the department administrator as she did so. “Jessy, do you want another plant? If you do, please feel free to take this one.”
    Jessy was an older woman who handled the biochemistry department’s administrative duties with amazing efficiency. She came into Emily’s office with a wry smile on her face. “I’ll just put it out here with the others. One of these days you’re going to have to give that poor young man a break. He must be going broke sending all these pretty plants.”
    Emily gave her a half smile that was almost diabolical. “Good. I’m off to class,” she said cheerfully.
    Jessy shook her head as Emily took off at her usual fast pace. “You can run but you can’t hide. One of these days that young man is going to catch you. I hope I’m there to see it,” she said mostly to herself.
    Emily was so busy that she didn’t get a chance to check her messages until midafternoon. She was pleased to see that her mother had called. Ever since Lucie Porter retired from her career in nursing, she’d been traveling. So much that Emily actually saw less of her mother than when she’d been a busy working woman. Emily returned the call and smiled when she heard her mother’s voice.
    “I didn’t know you were home. I thought you were still in Paris.”
    “I am still in Paris, dear. I’m calling because my travel plans have changed. I was coming home next week, but I’ve changed my mind. I talked to Ayanna last night and she had a wonderful idea. Instead of coming back to Columbia, I’m going to Chicago for a couple of weeks. I miss my grand-babies and I want to spend some time with them. And Ayanna wants to give you a big birthday party over the Thanksgiving weekend, so you have to come too. The timing is perfect because it coincides with your break at the university. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
    As usual, Lucie’s good mood was infectious. It was very difficult to be down in the dumps aroundher. Emily laughed at her enthusiasm. “Mom, slow down! You’re talking so fast I can barely keep up. But, yes, it sounds like a plan. I’ll just come to Chicago, then. It’ll be wonderful to see everybody, but I don’t need to have a birthday party. Tell Ayanna not to worry about it.”
    “Absolutely not! She’s looking forward to it, and she’s already started planning it.”
    Quite naturally, Lucie had the last word. She wasn’t bossy, but she was persuasive and, as she freely admitted, she liked having her own way. Her daughters had no problem