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It had been Heather who’d initiated the weekly routine years ago when she’d gone away to college She’d insisted that it was for her own sake—that she wasaway from home But she suspected her mother knew the truth—that Heather’s weekly check-ins had been more for her y type Far fro two, so apart Heck, Heather’s junior year of high school, her ht shift at a twenty-four-hour diner, and it had see each other

But college had been different Although Michigan State was only an hour’s drive from her hometown, the distance roceries stocked Hadn’t been there to move her mom’s work uniform to the dryer before it started to smell mildewy

It wasn’t that her mom was flaky; it was just that the two of the that had been hard to do an hour away in college, and was even harder now that Heather had followed her dreaed her that Not once in Heather’s entire life had herQuite the contrary, Joan had been her biggest cheerleader The one who insisted that Heather not only aih, but act on it

When Heather’s friends’ hters to be realistic, Joan was telling Heather to reach for the stars

The brightest star in Heather’s case being New York City

Hercould, although maybe the Sunday phone calls helped a tiny bit

“Hi, honey,” her mother chirped the second she picked up the phone “How’s irl?”

“Wonderful,” Heather said, settling into the couch and pulling her legs up to her chest, resting heron her knees as sheain?”

“No Well, I mean, yes Menopause has officially sunk its teeth in But no, I ht you were already red haired”

“No, I went chestnut for a while Reh she rarely had a clue what color hair her ood number of odd jobs in an effort to keep food on the table and, later, to help Heather pay for textbooks in college, but her bread and butter had always been hairdressing The waitress gigs ca duties, but Joan always said that she was a hairdresser through and through

“You do it yourself?” Heather took a sip of tea

“Nah, Sissy helped,” her hbor “I helped her go gray”

“How is Sissy not already gray? Isn’t she pushing sixty?”

“Mind your tongue,” Joan said without bite “And yes, but it takes a rare skill to ray look intentional Lucky for Sissy, I have that skill”

Heather smiled at herOr maybe not You always did have exceptional hair”

Exceptional? Hardly But then it was always people without the curls anted them

In almost every way, Heather was a miniature of her rin Saed brows

But whereas Heather’s hair was a ht The curls were the one and only thing Heather had gotten froh Heather didn’t like that any physical link connected her to her good-for-nothing absentee dad, she could appreciate the irony that a hairdresser would have a daughter whose locks were virtually untamable—the shoeirls at the shop nearly lost theirDanica Robinson’s wedding,” her mother said