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up myself. I’m not handy.”

“Neither am I. I can do anything with a camera, but outside

of that… I’d have to learn fast or hire someone. Or watch the

house fall down and rot around me. I love urban decay. That

was my first exhibition. Photos from LA.”

Adalynn sounded sad, and Cassia wasn’t sure what to say.

She thought being in an old house that was falling down

around her would be scary and unsafe. It would probably be

creepy and seemed sad, but she wouldn’t say anything. So

what if it wasn’t her dream?

“I don’t really know what that is.”

“Oh. Just rundown buildings and stuff.”

She was sure it was more than that. She barely stopped

herself from saying that. Now that she knew Adalynn’s full

name, she planned to check out her work. Why had she not

thought to look her up before she got here? She’d spent hours

fussing with her hair and makeup, trying to pick a stupid

outfit, when she should have used the time more wisely.

“Do you ever photograph people?”

“All the time.”

Cassia bit down on her bottom lip again. Adalynn’s gaze

was so direct that she nearly shifted in her seat. She made

herself sit still and not move, but it was only through sheer

force of will. She wasn’t uncomfortable. It wasn’t that.

“Have you ever been kissed by a woman?”

Cassia gaped at Adalynn. She’d never really been kissed by

anyone at all. She didn’t want Adalynn to know how sheltered

she’d been. She didn’t want to talk about how her dad was

wild about keeping her safe, about how she hadn’t grown up in

a normal kind of family. About how she was always looking