Chloe in Willowmere

The reply from the city heritage office arrived on a Wednesday morning, printed and waiting on the corner table at Marco's when Chloe sat down with her coffee. She read it once, then again, slowly. The protection was real — the historical designation was viable — but only if proper documentation could be formally filed within thirty days. After that, the window would close permanently. Harriet Bloom arrived before Chloe had finished her second read. She listened without interrupting, which told Chloe everything she needed to know about how seriously Harriet was taking it. 'Thirty days,' Harriet said, as though testing the weight of the words. Chloe looked up. 'We can do thirty days.' By the time the coffee cups were empty, they were already at Harriet's dining room table, surrounded by folders and file boxes and the accumulated paper memory of a neighborhood that had no intention of being forgotten quietly.