She threw the weeds she had pulled into a yard-waste bag. A dark bloom of sweat dampened the back of Steph’s shirt, and the short strands of hair along the nape of her neck were damp, too. I watched the way the muscles in her arms flexed as she worked, and then I realized I was staring and looked down guiltily. The glass in my hand was slick, and a droplet of condensation plummeted to the ground, leaving a splotch of water on the bricks.

“So—” she said.

“So—” I said.

She looked over her shoulder at me and grinned. “You go first.”

“I was going to ask if you decided whether you’re doing that concert in August with Roxy.”

She straightened up to get the bag of fertilizer from the wheelbarrow. When she lifted it, I tried not to look at her. The way her koi tattoos moved.

“I haven’t decided yet. If I get involved again, it could be—” She shook her head. “It’s just a lot.”

“What do you mean? Is there drama or something?”

“No. The band gets along fine. I’m just not sure if I have time to do the band and work, and I was thinking about finishing my music degree.”

“You were getting a music degree?”

“An associate in fine arts at the community college. I have one semester to go, but I don’t know when I can do it.” She finished pouring out the fertilizer and returned the bag to the wheelbarrow.

“What’s stopping you?”

She gave a short laugh. “Money. What else?”

“Aren’t there scholarships?”

“Not for community college.” She knelt down and began to spread the fertilizer around the plants. “At least not as far as I know. Anyway, I don’t even know if it makes sense to finish the degree. I feel like life might be a better teacher.”

“My mom has a music degree. She’s an opera singer. She’d say it was worth it.”

Steph looked up. “Your mom’s an opera singer? Like professionally?”

“Yeah.” Sometimes, when people found out about my mom’s career, they thought I was making it up, but that didn’t seem to be what Steph was implying. She seemed impressed, which made me uncomfortable.

“Where does she perform?” she asked.

“All over,” I said vaguely. “She’s in Europe this summer.”

Steph sat back on her heels. “Touring?”

“No, she’s at a festival. Sometimes she tours, but—I mean, the point is, she couldn’t have done that without her degree. Maybe it’s a good idea for you to finish yours.”

Steph looked at me for a second and then returned to spreading the fertilizer around the plants. “Yeah, maybe. Or maybe it would be more useful if I get an accounting degree.” She sounded a little bitter.

“I can’t imagine you as an accountant.”

“I can’t either, but it might help with the rent.”