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M om went upstairs for a shower. I think she just needed alone time to process before we went to the Wok Inn. Yeah. Me, too. But the door to the shop opened, and I turned, expecting to see Marley back from checking on Pike and Coral and Reggie, really wanting to see Marley, but it was Darius.

He came toward me as the door banged shut behind him. “I heard what happened,” he said, looking concerned, the way he always did when I needed help. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I lied. Actually, I was wondering if in my nightmares tonight, I was going to have both Serena and Junior. I mean, Junior was dead, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t show up again in my sleep. Serena did.

Darius stood there in front of me, looking at me, and I just waited. Eventually he’d say something or go away, and I just wasn’t in the mood to take care of anybody else, even Darius. My mom had stopped vibrating once she found out that Junior had thought I was her, which didn’t help my stress at all; Mrs. B. was safely tucked away in her cottage with Dmitri, Tanke, two llamas, and some butterkuchen ; and Max had said we were going to the Wok Inn that night. I’d had a full day, and now I just wanted to get a shower and maybe put some makeup on. My little black dress. Be a girl instead of a target.

“So,” Darius said finally. “I’m leaving.”

I nodded. “Going to your grandpa’s for Christmas.” Every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, he went to visit his mom’s family for a week and celebrate both holidays with them while he was there.

He took a deep breath. “No, for good. I’m going to finish high school there and then go to college. I just want out of this . . . town.”

“Wow,” I said, stunned.

“It’s a lot closer to Harvard.” He relaxed a little as he started talking about college. “Close enough to go home to my grandpa’s on weekends if I want. Less than an hour.”

“You’re not going to spend Christmas with your dad?” That was inconceivable to me, a holiday without my mom. And Coral. And Max. And Marley. I needed them with me. It was hard enough facing Christmas without Ozzie, although he’d always been very bah humbug about it. And then he’d heap presents on me, most of them weird, and he’d decorate, and don’t get me started on Ozzie’s Christmas decorations. The Santa skulls usually stopped people in their tracks.

Damn, I missed him.

“You know,” Darius said, carefully. “You could come with me.”

That jolted me into paying attention. “What?”

“You could come with me. We could visit Harvard. You might really like?—”

“ No ,” I said, the fury that had been hiding under my fear all day erupting now that it had a deserving target. “I would not like Harvard. I am not deserting my mother on Christmas. If you have to leave your dad, we’ll take care of him, but I’m not leaving Rocky Start .”

He looked annoyed. “My dad’ll be fine. He’s all caught up in that Jackie woman. He won’t even notice I’m gone.”

That pissed me off. “Darius, your dad has been a monk for ten years. You’re grown up. He gets to have a life now, too.” I shouldn’t have said that, but he made me so mad. Jackie was great and if Luke liked her?—

“Yeah?” Darius said. “How would you feel if a stranger came to town and your mom hooked up—” He stopped, probably remembering Max.

“Jackie is really nice,” I said, trying not to sound accusing. “And she’s a doctor, that’s good. And her kid is great. You?—”

“What I’m saying is that it’s not like I’m leaving him alone for Christmas,” Darius said. “He’ll be fine.” He looked down into my eyes. “Me, not so much without you. You could at least try ?—”

“ No. ” I practically shrieked it, stepping back from him, and he just stood there, looking sad, but at least he’d heard me that time. “Look, Darius, I love you,” I said, feeling bad for him now. “I’ll always love you, but?—”

That was a mistake. He stepped up and put his arms around me before I got to the “but” and tried to kiss me, and I pushed against his chest, and said, “ No ,” just as Max and Marley came in.

Of course.

“Problem here?” Max said, his voice cold.

I shoved Darius again and he stepped back, looking betrayed.

“No problem,” I said. “We’re over and I’m staying in Rocky Start.” I looked over Darius’s shoulder at Max and Marley. “With the people I love.”

“It’s such a waste of you,” Darius said, like he was in mourning.

“No, it’s not,” I snapped. “I’m going to do great things here.” I looked back at Max and Marley and had no doubt who I belonged with. “ With the people I love. ”

Darius looked back and saw Marley. “Oh.” He looked down at me, his face stormy now. “Well, then, you have a good life.”

He started for the door and Max stepped to one side, looking at Darius coldly.

But Marley was different. “If you need more time alone with Poppy . . .” he said quietly to Darius.

“I’m leaving,” Darius said shortly, and then he took a deep breath and held out his hand to Marley. “It’s been good knowing you, man.”

Marley shook his hand, looking confused as Darius went out the door. “What the hell?” he asked me.

“He’s moving in with his mom’s family. Never coming back,” I told him.

“Fuck,” Marley said, and went out the door after him.

Max looked at me. “That’s what you needed. More drama.” He looked angry, at Darius I think, but he was keeping it in check.

“I need to be alone,” I told him. “And Chinese food.”

“We can bring you back takeout if you’d rather.” He forced a smile for me. “Not a problem.”

“No, I don’t leave my family. We’re eating together.”

Max now had an odd look on his face, but I didn’t care about that right now. I went upstairs.

I could not understand how Darius could walk away from everyone here.

He couldn’t understand how I couldn’t do that.

That wasn’t a gulf we could bridge.

It wasn’t a gulf I wanted to bridge.

And my head hurt.

So I went upstairs to play with makeup and find my little black dress. Darius loved that black dress, mostly because it had what my mom called a boob window. Heart-shaped.

His loss.