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That sent Elizabeth into an overexaggerated stretch. “Agreed. Yes,sir, I’m ready for some relaxation.” They really needed to work on their actingskills.

Elizabeth’s mother hadn’t stopped celebrating her victory andbeamed at them while she slung an arm around Milla’s shoulder. “Well, you kidsgo enjoy your night. I’ll be by with that casserole after suppertime.”

“Sounds good,” Elizabeth said, and practically dragged Devyn away.Once they were on their own, she passed her a wide-eyed glance. “So, that wascrazy.”

Devyn raised an eyebrow. “How was that crazy? We said hello, andnow you’re in for some free homemade casserole. Sounds like a win every whichway.”

“No, no, no. We don’t do that kind of thing, she and I. The casualswinging by. Never have.”

“Is it a bad thing that you try it?”

Elizabeth exhaled. “I guess not.”

“I can’t think of too much that could go wrong. I doubt she’sgoing to shoot up your house or anything.”

“You’re hilarious.”

Devyn paused. “No one’s ever thought so, and that is the damntruth.”

Elizabeth squeezed her hand as they split to climb into the truck.“It’d be more like her to just not show up and then apologize profusely for thenext two weeks, fall all over herself.”

“But if you’re already planning on that, what’s the worst thatcould happen?”

Elizabeth shut the truck door and considered the statement.“There’s a certain logic there, I guess.”

“Funnyandlogical?I’m racking it up tonight.” She gave Elizabeth her best set of puppy dog eyes.“I should be rewarded.”

“Agreed.” Elizabeth leaned across the console and pressed hermouth to Devyn’s without hesitation, her hand on Devyn’s chin. Why was thathot? The chin thing? But it so was. In fact, her head spun until the worldslowed down, bringing a smile to her face.

“You always grin when you kiss,” Elizabeth whispered, inches fromher face.

“Do not,” Devyn said, and continued to kiss Elizabeth, feeling thegrin appear. “Maybe a little,” she murmured against Elizabeth’s mouth. “I knowother things that make me grin.”

“Trust me, I do, too. Shall we?”

“God, yes.” Devyn faced forward, buckled her seat belt, andflipped on the radio. She was a model passenger. Anything to accelerate them tothe moment Elizabeth’s clothes hit the floor.

Twenty minutes later, she was nearly there. With a close-to-nakedElizabeth straddling her in the armchair of the living room, Devyn kissed herbreast through her yellow bra.

Elizabeth cradled the back of her head, her hips pushing againstDevyn’s stomach. This was what she’d been thinking about all night.

“Are you grinning right now?” Elizabeth said, her breathing quick.

“How could I not be?”

* * *

Elizabeth couldn’t sleep, which never happened. Her thoughts werea jumble. Reliving the awful details of Jill’s disappearance and accident, herconfusing feelings for Devyn, her relationship with her mother all woundtogether into a knot she couldn’t quite untie. She stood in the pitch black ofher kitchen, sipping from a cup of decaf tea she’d managed to make whilefumbling around blindly and listening to the clock on the wall tick quietly.Devyn was asleep in the other room with Scout curled up in the bend of her kneelike they were best friends, and she didn’t want to wake her by turning on alight. In fact, it would have been a crime. She’d never seen anyone look sobeautiful when they slept. With her blond hair in shambles from Elizabethweaving her fingers through it, one arm thrown behind her, and the other onetucked underneath her cheek like a second pillow, she made it hard for Elizabethnot to stare.

It hadn’t escaped her that she was now sleeping with the captainof the cheerleading squad. Elizabeth smiled as she drank her tea, thinking ofall the things she enjoyed about Devyn. She loved the way she had entireconversations with Scout when she thought Elizabeth was out of earshot. Thenight before while she brushed her teeth, she’d heard Devyn explain the conceptof commission to her dog and all the ways to increase earning potential. Shecaught sight of them in the mirror and saw Devyn massaging Scout’s ears as shetalked to her. They were quickly becoming a pair.

She placed a hand over her chest because the sweet recollectioncaused actual pain. Why? Because she wouldn’t have those moments for very muchlonger. Though they had shelved talk of Devyn’s impending return toPhiladelphia, she was wildly aware that they’d reached no real conclusion. Theyhadn’t decided that things would necessarily end, but then they hadn’t decidedthey wouldn’t, either.

Theeitherreally resonated.

“What’s going on? You okay?” Devyn asked in her raspy sleepyvoice.

Elizabeth turned in the darkness. She couldn’t fully see Devyn butcould tell she stood across the room, near the entrance to the hallway. “Justhaving some tea.”