patch's voice still echoed in my head. my heart pumped faster, but if anything, my blood ran colder.

had he talked directly to my thoughts? was there some inexplicable link between us that allowed it to happen? or was i losing my mind?

elliot didn't look fully convinced. "you sure nothing's going on between the two of you? i don't want to chase after an unavailable girl."

"nothing." nothing i was going to allow, anyway.

wait. what did elliot say?

"sorry? " i said.

he smiled. "delphic seaport reopens saturday night, and jules and i are thinking about driving out.

weather's not supposed to be too bad. maybe you and vee want to come?"

i took a moment to think over his offer. i was pretty sure that if i turned elliot down, vee would kill me.

besides, going out with elliot seemed like a good way to escape my uncomfortable attraction to patch.

"sounds like a plan," i said.

chapter 7

it was saturday night, and dorothea and i were in the kitchen. she had just popped a casserole into the oven and was sizing up a list of tasks my mom had hanging from a magnet on the fridge.

"your mother called. she won't arrive home until late sunday night," dorothea said as she scrubbed ajax into our kitchen sink with a vigor that made my own elbow ache. "she left a message on the machine. she wants you to give her a call. you've been calling every night before bed?"

i sat on a stool, eating a buttered bagel. i'd just taken a huge bite, and now dorothea was looking at me like she wanted an answer. "mm