“One reason is my terrible motion sickness,” Julia admitted.

“Yikes.” Cleo laughed. “Sorry.” She sobered. “That’s not funny.”

“You can laugh,” Julia assured her boss. “It is kind of funny. Another example of my warped luck. I needed a job and the only position available requires doing something that makes me violently ill.”

A wry smile ghosted her lips. “Another reason is I hate traveling. And not just because I get sick. As a kid, I never felt like I had a place I could claim as my own. A place I belonged to. But ever since I moved here, that’s changed. Chicago is my adopted hometown. I want to explore every nook and cranny. Discover all the things that make the place I call home special.”

“I have to admit, that does sound enticing,” Cleo mused. “One problem. I’m not sure ‘Take Me Home!’ has quite the same ring.” Her boss tapped her fingers thoughtfully. “Let’s say you were in charge of this feature. What would you call it?”

“Good question.” Again, Julia found herself struggling to breathe, afraid to hope. She flipped through her notepad, frantically searching for ideas she’d jotted down in the past, skimming scraps of brainstorming sessions and daydreams. “My mission would be to cover more than what’s trendy. Go beyond what’s popular with tourists. The news can do that stuff. I want to reveal the hidden treasures of the city to the people who live here and might not realize all there is to enjoy right under their noses.”

“Get the word out about all the local places people love,” Cleo summarized.

“That’s it,” Julia exhaled, inspiration striking like lightning. She grinned, face splitting into a smile that felt as big and bright as the sun after a storm. “I’d call it ‘Local Love.’”

On Friday afternoon, Julia texted her friends to make plans. It had been a hell of a week and she needed their holy trinity of comedy, carbs, and cocktails to be her salvation tonight. She also wanted to celebrate. The past few days had been long and stressful, but rewarding, too. “Local Love” would make its official debut on the TrendList website this weekend.

Only one meal was up to the challenge. Sushi.

She ordered two of all their favorites from the tiny but awesome sushi bar around the corner from Andie’s apartment. While Julia spread everything out on the table in front of the couch, Andie opened a large bottle of Sapporo and Kat started the movie. It had been her turn to pick this time.

“After everything that happened, I can’t believe you went with Dirty Dancing,” Julia declared, working her way through her second rainbow roll. “It’s not even a romantic comedy.”