The wind off Lake Michigan cut through Bella's coat as she stepped out of the rideshare. Chicago was colder than Seattle, the wind whipping off the lake with a bite that felt personal. She pulled her scarf tighter and looked up at the community center building. It was a brick structure on the South Side, vacant for three years, tagged with graffiti that spoke of neglect rather than art. This was the proposed site for the next Chen Center.
Eleanor walked beside her, clutching a tablet against her chest. "The zoning meeting is in twenty minutes. The community board is already inside."
"Are they hostile?" Bella asked. She checked her reflection in the darkened window of the vacant building. She looked tired. The book tour had ended a month ago, but the fatigue lingered.
"Some are," Eleanor
