my best,â Elizabeth said.
âNice meeting you,â Jess said.
âYou, too,â Claire replied.
Chapter Six
A S SHE DROVE NORTH FROM T UCSON , Claire thought that Elizabeth had to be the kind of woman people meant by the phrase âhigh maintenance,â She demanded obedience and needed constant attention. Claire admired her drive and energy, but not what she did with it. Elizabeth had grown up in a family full of girls and apparently still considered every other female a competitor. Claire sought tranquility, and being around Elizabeth rattled her nerves. The road was full of semis and RVs that contributed to her edgy feeling. Claire remembered when I-10 from Tucson to Phoenix was a pleasant drive through the scrubby desert, but every time she returned to Arizona there were more vehicles on the road, more houses in the foothills, and both continued to increase in size. She looked forward to arriving at Lynn Grangerâs tranquil home in Cave Creek. To sit on the patio surrounded by saguaros, listening to the coyotes yip and howl, and watch the sunset with her old friend would be a soothing way to end this annoying day. Evan, Melissa and Elizabeth in one day had been too much.
She kept an eye on her rearview mirror, watching Tucson fading into the distance. The view blurred as her eyes filled with tears. What are you crying about? she asked herself. The loss of the past? The death of Nana? Although she hadnât been close to Nana, death was always upsetting. She couldnât be shedding any more tears over Evan and Melissa, could she? She and Evan had been together for twenty-eight years and had raised two children. She had put enough time between her and the divorce by now that she could remember some good times among the bad. She turned on the radio, spun the dial looking for classical music, but settled on Linda Ronstadt.
Although the traffic remained heavy, once Tucson was no longer visible, Claire felt better. She looked forward to visiting Lynn, the one sister she really enjoyed being with. She always followed the same route through Phoenix, taking the Black Canyon Freeway and Cave Creek Road.
Lynn moved to Cave Creek, a town north of Phoenix, with her first husband shortly after graduation from the U of A. She still lived in the same house, although with a different husband. Claire had been visiting here for twenty-five years. When she first came, Cave Creek was a small western town with a post office, a saloon, a few restaurants and an American Legion Hall, but now the main road bustled with restaurants and shops. You could get a latte here, which Claire considered the line of demarcation between the old west and the new. Once the roads leading into Cave Creek were lined with cactus. But Phoenix and Scottsdale continued to sprawl, and whenever Claire came back she saw more houses. Lynn had bought ten acres when land was cheap. The lay of her land was such that not another house was, or ever would be, visible from hers. The world outside sprawled and spread, but Lynnâs property remained the same. The house, which had been built by her first husband, was simple but comfortable. The land and the view were spectacular. Claire believed there were indoor houses and outdoor houses. The Grangers spent most of their time outdoors.
When Claire pulled into the driveway, she saw Lynn and her husband, Steve, in the yard. Lynn wore jeans and a baggy T-shirt. She was letting her hair go gray and her body get plump. Claire hoped this was a sign of contentment. Lynn walked over to the truck followed by Steve, who had thin, sharp features and worried eyes. He had lost weight, which gave him the dry, scrawny look of a desert plant. Lynn looked like a well-tended and nourished house plant. The weight that had fallen off Steve appeared to have settled on her, as if a transfer of power had taken place. Steve had had heart surgery recently and he took it as a wake-up call. He learned how to reduce stress,
âNice meeting you,â Jess said.
âYou, too,â Claire replied.
Chapter Six
A S SHE DROVE NORTH FROM T UCSON , Claire thought that Elizabeth had to be the kind of woman people meant by the phrase âhigh maintenance,â She demanded obedience and needed constant attention. Claire admired her drive and energy, but not what she did with it. Elizabeth had grown up in a family full of girls and apparently still considered every other female a competitor. Claire sought tranquility, and being around Elizabeth rattled her nerves. The road was full of semis and RVs that contributed to her edgy feeling. Claire remembered when I-10 from Tucson to Phoenix was a pleasant drive through the scrubby desert, but every time she returned to Arizona there were more vehicles on the road, more houses in the foothills, and both continued to increase in size. She looked forward to arriving at Lynn Grangerâs tranquil home in Cave Creek. To sit on the patio surrounded by saguaros, listening to the coyotes yip and howl, and watch the sunset with her old friend would be a soothing way to end this annoying day. Evan, Melissa and Elizabeth in one day had been too much.
She kept an eye on her rearview mirror, watching Tucson fading into the distance. The view blurred as her eyes filled with tears. What are you crying about? she asked herself. The loss of the past? The death of Nana? Although she hadnât been close to Nana, death was always upsetting. She couldnât be shedding any more tears over Evan and Melissa, could she? She and Evan had been together for twenty-eight years and had raised two children. She had put enough time between her and the divorce by now that she could remember some good times among the bad. She turned on the radio, spun the dial looking for classical music, but settled on Linda Ronstadt.
Although the traffic remained heavy, once Tucson was no longer visible, Claire felt better. She looked forward to visiting Lynn, the one sister she really enjoyed being with. She always followed the same route through Phoenix, taking the Black Canyon Freeway and Cave Creek Road.
Lynn moved to Cave Creek, a town north of Phoenix, with her first husband shortly after graduation from the U of A. She still lived in the same house, although with a different husband. Claire had been visiting here for twenty-five years. When she first came, Cave Creek was a small western town with a post office, a saloon, a few restaurants and an American Legion Hall, but now the main road bustled with restaurants and shops. You could get a latte here, which Claire considered the line of demarcation between the old west and the new. Once the roads leading into Cave Creek were lined with cactus. But Phoenix and Scottsdale continued to sprawl, and whenever Claire came back she saw more houses. Lynn had bought ten acres when land was cheap. The lay of her land was such that not another house was, or ever would be, visible from hers. The world outside sprawled and spread, but Lynnâs property remained the same. The house, which had been built by her first husband, was simple but comfortable. The land and the view were spectacular. Claire believed there were indoor houses and outdoor houses. The Grangers spent most of their time outdoors.
When Claire pulled into the driveway, she saw Lynn and her husband, Steve, in the yard. Lynn wore jeans and a baggy T-shirt. She was letting her hair go gray and her body get plump. Claire hoped this was a sign of contentment. Lynn walked over to the truck followed by Steve, who had thin, sharp features and worried eyes. He had lost weight, which gave him the dry, scrawny look of a desert plant. Lynn looked like a well-tended and nourished house plant. The weight that had fallen off Steve appeared to have settled on her, as if a transfer of power had taken place. Steve had had heart surgery recently and he took it as a wake-up call. He learned how to reduce stress,
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