Page 145

Eleanor is in the living room, making a tower of alternating red and black checker chips.

“Hey, Ellie. While Jude and I are eating our lunch… do you want to come play tea party with us?”

The smile she gives me is all the reward I need.

FORTY-TWO

I’m twenty minutes early the next day, in part because my sleep schedule is indeed completely wonky. After yesterday’s long nap and an early bedtime, I woke up at four this morning, which is ridiculously early, even for me.

No matter. I had plenty of pleasant memories to keep my mind occupied before I managed to pull myself out of bed. I used my morning hours semi-productively… when I wasn’t caught up in unhelpful fantasies, at least. I’m giddy as I swing my bike into the parking lot, eager to tell Quint and Rosa and the other volunteers about my new ideas for the gala.

That—and I can’t wait to see Quint again. It’s been an entire day, and there’s a small part of me that thinks it might have been a fluke. Maybe we were just caught up in the romance of the storm. Maybe he’ll take one look at me this morning and regret everything.

But every time these doubts start to creep in, I think about his words, right after he kissed me the first time.I’ve wanted to do that for a while.

It wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t a mistake. And I cannot go another minute without seeing him and kissing him and confirming that it was real. That he still likes me as much as I like him.

There’s only one car in the parking lot—Rosa’s, I think. None of the other volunteers have arrived yet. I tear off my helmet and practically skip to the door.

No one is in the lobby, so I make a quick pass around the yard and lowerlevels. No one in the kitchen, or the laundry room, or with any of the animals. I do stop to greet Lennon and Luna, but I can tell that they’re only interested in me because it’s almost breakfast time.

“I’ll be back soon,” I whisper. “First, I need to see Quint before I explode.” I squeal in the same way Penny squeals whenever she sees a photo of Sadashiv on one of those celebrity magazines they keep at the checkout line at the grocery store. I feel faintly embarrassed for myself, but it doesn’t keep me from practically jogging back down the hall.

“Hello? Anyone here?” I call, even as I’m ascending the steps to the second floor.

I’m passing the break room when Rosa sticks her head out of her office and blinks at me. She looks bewildered. “Prudence.”

“Hi!” I beam. “I know, I’m early. Is Quint here yet?”

She doesn’t speak for a minute. Doesn’t move. Then she clears her throat and glances over her shoulder, back into her office. “Yes,” she says slowly. Her jaw is set when she faces me again. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here, before the others. Can I… can we talk to you?”

“Of course! I want to talk to you, too.” I clap my hands excitedly. “I secured us a venue for the gala! I mean—it was Quint’s idea, so I can’t take all the credit, but it’s perfect!” I follow Rosa into her office.

And there’s Quint, his hands gripping the edge of a low bookshelf, his ankles crossed in front of him.

My heart leaps at the sight of him.

His head is lowered slightly as his eyes dart toward me, and there’s a second—just a second—when I remember his story about his eyebrows, and how he was afraid they made him look mean, and I can kind of understand why he would have thought that. But the moment passes, and no, he doesn’t look mean. He looksnervous.

He probably hasn’t told his mom about us yet.

I can’t be hurt. I haven’t told anyone, either, not even Jude or Ari.

I smile at him.

He looks away.

Ooooo-kay. Not quite the reception I’ve been dreaming about all morning, but… maybe his mom doesn’t want him dating anyone yet? Not that we’redating. Officially. Or anything. But ithasto be heading in that direction. You don’t kiss someone for seven straight hours without wanting it to become a regular thing.

At least, I know I want it to become a regular thing.

“So!” I chirp, trying to dispel the weird tension in the air. “I called the Offshore Theater yesterday and told them all about the center and what we’re planning for the gala, and they are totally on board. They’ll let us use it free of charge, as long as we don’t do it on a weekend, so I went ahead and booked it for the eighteenth, which is a Tuesday. It’s going to be perfect. They have a kitchen for the caterers to use, plenty of tables and chairs we can set out, and just like you thought, they should have everything we need for the AV equipment, too. The manager I spoke with seemed really excited to be a part of the event. I told them we’re hoping it will become an annual thing, and…” I swallow. Rosa is rubbing the back of her neck, looking concerned. “They love the ‘Yellow Submarine’ theme. They do a Beatles movie marathon every couple of years, so they said they can put out some of the posters from that.” Quint’s jaw twitches. His eyes are still glued to the floor. My chest feels like it’s starting to cave in, and the only way to prevent it is to keep talking, so I do. “Plus they’re also going to supply a date-night-themed gift basket for the auction, complete with movie tickets and a free bucket of popcorn! Isn’t that… so… generous?”

My shoulders fall. I can’t keep going. No amount of enthusiasm could hide the fact that I feel like I’m talking to a brick wall. Two brick walls. Why isn’t Quint looking at me? Why isn’t Rosa smiling and saying how great this is?

“Okay,what?” I say. “Is it one of the animals? Is Lennon okay? Luna?”

“The animals are fine,” says Rosa. She glances at Quint, her brow furrowed. His knuckles whiten where he’s gripping the bookshelf.