Read When Girlfriends Chase Dreams for Free Online Page B

he had surprised me with a piece of jewelry that I adore as much as my engagement ring. It’s a simple gold necklace with a heart-shaped locket. Inside is a single photo of the two of us.  
    “That is the sweetest love story ever! ” Melissa gushes, her “ever” said in a valley-girl accent.  
    I roll the locket between my thumb and index finger and say in my best valley-tone, “It took him forever to propose, but when he did, it was romantic and perfect. And about damn time!”
    Melissa and I giggle like schoolgirls—or valley girls, probably. After squaring away payment and a few other matters, the two of us leave the coffee shop with expectations and sales goals met. I’ve been relieved of the overwhelming stress of wedding planning, having just signed the dotted line.
    I’m sure I’m Melissa’s only summer wedding on her fresh books, but I bet she’s ecstatic to have a client whose father is willing to cover the cost, whatever the cost! So long as I find a darn church.  
    Well, that’s Melissa’s job now. She’s headed out to work on that task. In the meantime, I’m going to swing by Sophie’s work-in-progress. I’m curious what the future café looks like. Will there be rubble all over the floor from the walls she had knocked down? Will there already be kitchen appliances? What about the storefront!
    I can only imagine how adorable it will look when it finally becomes real. Sophie will have a big display of cupcakes, maybe even free samples to taste. She’ll have a really fancy coffee machine. She’ll probably have super-cute aprons designed, and maybe she’ll even wear a big, poofy chef hat. She’ll be all entrepreneurial and successful, and, well, I’ll have gained twenty pounds from sampling all of the scrumptious desserts, naturally.
    I unlock the front passenger door of my car and crawl in over the seat and the gear shift. When I finally get into my seat behind the wheel, I lean over to close the passenger door. I’m Claire Linley, and this is Claire Linley’s car, and I’m not ashamed. I love my Corolla. She’s seen me through a lot since I first got her my senior year in high school. She’s taken probably two dozen trips between Oregon and Washington state, and while she’s getting up there in numbers (both years and mileage), she’s a super trooper, and I can’t let her go. Not yet. Buying or even leasing a car requires a lot of money, and so long as my car can get me from point A to point B within some realm of reliability, I see no reason to cash her in.
    Besides, it’s only in very low temperatures or snowy weather that the driver’s door seizes up and becomes completely useless, like today. I figure it’s better that it stays shut rather than refuse to close. You always have to look at the glass half full, you know? I’m learning that now more than ever as I face a monstrous wedding…and a car that’s slowly starting to crumble before my eyes.
    I didn’t want to tell Conner, but last night when I got off work, my car’s back windows wouldn’t roll up. I sat in the parking garage for over twenty minutes messing with the stupid windows. See, I read somewhere that if you roll down your windows and blast your heater in freezing temperatures, your heater will become warm faster. But the heater didn’t get any warmer any faster than usual, and my windows got stuck for a long, panicked time.
    Halfway home I reflected on that supposed “get heat quickly” article I’d read and started to wonder if that had something to do with the air conditioner and the summer instead…
    I’m always reading really interesting articles or tidbits of information intended to better or de-stress your life. I especially love those articles that lend a helping hand in the diet and healthy living departments. Trouble is, I’ve read so many of them I sometimes confuse their subject matter and advice. Oh well; it doesn’t matter.
    The car windows were stuck, and only once the car sprang forth