Free Chemistry of Desire by Melanie Schuster

indulging her because she was so sweet. They talked a bit more and when the call ended, Emily was smiling. There was a time when she and Ayanna hadn’t been close at all. Ayanna had told Emily about her funky attitude, and after a while Emily had conceded that her older sister was right. It had cleared the air and started them on a path to a much better relationship. She was also much closer to her mother now. She was really looking forward to going to Chicago. It wasn’t until she was walking out to her car that she remembered something vital. She remembered just why going anywhere near the Windy City was a totally bad idea.
     
    Sherri opened the door to her condo, looking concerned. “Come on in here, Em. You sounded a little stressed on the phone.” She gave Emily aquick hug and patted her on the back before turning to lead the way into the living room. Her condo was nicely decorated in earth tones with pops of bright orange and coral. There were cheerful African and Caribbean prints on the walls, as well as big healthy green plants.
    Emily walked into the living room, where she was greeted with great gusto by Sherri’s adorable and very precocious five-year-old daughter, Sydney. “Hi, Auntie Emily! I haven’t seen you in a long time,” she said. She was the image of her mother. She looked just as Sherri had as a child, right down to the long pigtails and the round eyeglasses that slid down to the tip of her nose.
    Emily picked her up and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. “It hasn’t been that long has it?”
    Sydney nodded her head vigorously. “It’s been a long, long time. Are you going to have dinner with us?”
    Emily was about to say no when Sherri interrupted. “Yes, she is. So why don’t you go take off your school clothes and wash your hands so you can help me set the table?”
    “Okay!” Sydney wiggled down from Emily’s arms and dashed off to her bedroom.
    “Come on in the kitchen and we’ll talk. We’re just having leftovers, so don’t act like this is an imposition. What’s up?”
    Emily sat on a stool by the counter that servedas a breakfast bar and room divider. “I talked to my mom today. She wanted to tell me her travel plans. She’s going to Chicago for a couple of weeks, and I’m supposed to meet her up there because Ayanna wants to give me a birthday party. And I said of course I’d come, sure no problem.” She crossed her arms on the counter and propped her head up with one hand.
    Sherri was making a salad and looked up when Emily stopped talking. “Why so glum? It’ll be a great time.”
    “Where does Todd live, Sherri?” Emily stared at her friend, waiting for the penny to drop.
    “What do you mean, where does he live? He lives in… Oh, I get it. Hmm.”
    “Took you long enough,” Emily said grumpily. “I’ll be walking into the lair of the beast. I’ll see him up there, there’s no question about it. My sister is married to Johnny Phillips. Johnny Phillips’s sister Billie is married to Todd’s brother, and they’re all like best friends. We’re just one big happy freakin’ family. There is no way I could be in Chicago for any amount of time and not run into him.”
    Sherri had finished tossing the salad and put the bowl on the counter. “Good. You should run into him. It’s just what you need to do. You need to show up looking fabulous and rub his nose in it. That way you’ll be free of him and you can moveon, leaving him to wallow in his own misery,” she said firmly.
    Emily looked at Sherri as if birds were flying out of her ears. “Are you feeling okay? This is me we’re talking about, Sherri. I don’t do gorgeous. I don’t have the gorgeous gene. I do smart. That’s my whole thing, girlfriend.”
    Sherri ignored her while she began heating the meat loaf and macaroni and cheese that she’d referred to as just leftovers. “Smart and gorgeous aren’t mutually exclusive. All you need is a few minor adjustments to your stubborn mind-set and a