Plateaus and a crash-test dummy

Chloe’s friends met.
“I’m concerned about Chloe,” said Anne.
“She seems sad and distracted,” added Liz.
“She told me she’s OK and just wants space,” Bruce informed them.
“Let’s give her space to figure it out,” they agreed.

The doorbell rang. Chloe signed for her boxes and set them down by the door. She could hear B.B. King’s voice singing, “The thrill is gone. The thrill is gone away. The thrill is gone, baby. The thrill is gone away…”
* a story about shopping addiction

page 13: “I think we need to shake things up. Our subscription numbers have leveled out. We need to do something new,” Liz said.
“I don’t know. Why mess with perfection?” Chloe did not like change. It caused her to worry. It caused her great stress.