Polly’s room was a surprise. It was directly above Laura’s, and while it also overlooked the garden, it lacked the floor-to-ceiling windows and fireplace. It was painted a pale shade of sage, with white furniture, and was immaculately tidy and uncluttered. Every surface gleamed, and the floor was polished to a high shine, a cloud of flokati floating in the center. A collection of snow globes stood on a bookcase, and a long, clearly handmade flag with a big P in the middle was covered with dozens of enamel pins, ranging from Zelda to axolotls. It was a gorgeous room, and absolutely the last thing Laura had expected. Polly saw Laura’s expression and laughed.

“Dude, the inside of my head is such a circus I need my environment to be Zen.” Then she threw open the doors of an enormous walk-in closet that was entirely stuffed with clothes, boots, coats way too warm to ever be worn in Southern California, and what appeared to be a fairly sizable collection of plush Pokémon. She grinned at Laura. “But this is where all the magic happens.”

Polly didn’t have loads of swimsuits, but she did have half a dozen. Most of them were barely there bikinis, but there was a single poppy-red one-piece. There were enormous cutouts on both sides and the suit dipped dangerously low in the back, so it was really a one-piece in name only. Laura pulled it on in the privacy of Polly’s closet and tied the halter neck under her hair. She braided and twisted her hair into an efficient chignon, and stepped out of the closet.

“Well,” said Polly in a resigned tone, “that’s yours now. There’s no way I’m ever wearing it again.”

Laura stepped in front of the mirror and was taken aback. She’d swum competitively since high school and usually wore simple suits in black or blue. She was dismayed to see that despite her no-nonsense hairstyle, her appearance suggested Playboy rather than Sports Illustrated. Of course, her scars would have been an unusual feature on a model, but she’d never minded them. Everything else about her appearance bothered her, sure, but the scars that proved she’d been close to death and survived, she actually kind of liked. No one ever lost money betting against the consistency of human beings.

“Huh,” said Polly, standing behind Laura as they both looked in the mirror, Laura frowning and Polly grinning. “I guess your boobs are a bit different than mine.” She looked down at her boyish figure. “Insofar as you have them.”

Laura was dubious. “I could put a T-shirt over it, maybe?”

Polly shook her head. “No, you look amazing. But don’t do any backflips into the pool, I’m not sure those straps will hold.” She giggled. “Wait till Bob sees you.”

Laura looked at her. “Polly, there is nothing going on with me and Bob, quit it.”