Chapter 107

This was the first time I’d met Trish, and while I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t help noticing the resemblance between her and Jimmy’s previous girlfriend. Either he had a thing for cute, geeky-looking girls, or he was looking for another Sheila. I hoped it was the former, because I found I liked Trish.

Harker, Dad’s dog, stayed inside because he was stressed by all the noise from the fireworks, and though it didn’t seem to bother Mina, she kept him company.

Citronella candles lit up the backyard. Dad had turned off the gas grill, and we’d sat around the picnic table with cups of coffee.

I hoped, in spite of what Adam had said, he might show up after sundown—I imagined him feeding me the marshmallows I’d roasted, and me licking the sweetness from his fingers—but no such luck.

Raymond was there, though. He arrived just after we finished shooting off the last of the fireworks.

“I was in the neighborhood, and I thought I would see you home,” he murmured.