His face was so handsome, but he seemed tired. Stressed. For once in my life I couldn’t eat peach pie. That was a dang shame, but I was too miserable. I’d actually lost fifteen pounds. My butt was smaller, my boobs were smaller, and I felt weak and drained. I didn’t even have the energy to get something nice on. I was wearing a zippered pink sweatshirt and jeans. I did make time to put on Aunt Camellia’s lotion called Rose Hips and Bust.

“Evie, I’ve asked you out many times and you’ve said no.”

“I know.”

“I need to ask you something.”

I knew what he was talking about. “Yes. I’ve had a premonition about you. About us.”

I saw the worry in his eyes, but also courage. “Was it a good premonition or a bad one?”

“It was a bad one.” My eyes flooded. “You die in it, Marco. You drown.”

He was silent for long seconds, his hands clasped together, not eating the pie. “Well, that’s not good.”

“No, it’s not. You see, Marco . . .” I rushed forward so I could calm him down, reduce his worry, about how and when he died. “I’m with you. We’re on your boat. There’s a storm. It’s nighttime. You pitch over into the water. The boat goes down, the suction almost taking me down in the life raft. I’m trying to find you, but you’re gone. I’m screaming, I dive in and out of the water, but the night is so dark, the waves so bad, I can’t find you. Sundance is barking, I’m crying. It’s the worst premonition I’ve ever had.” Including the premonition where I might or might not die in a calamitous car crash.

He stared at me, then said, his face clearing, “Then we need to stay off my boat. It’s that simple.”

“We can’t. It’s one mistake on our part, one boat ride, one time thinking that it’s okay and it’s not. I’ve even tried to see the clothes we were wearing, but I can’t. It’s too dark, the storm is too heavy. The whole thing petrified me.” I drew my hands across my face, my breathing somewhat gaspy, like I was drowning.

“But we can make sure we’re never on a boat together.”

“It will kill you, Marco. I can’t risk it.”

“We can. We will. We will not be on a boat together. Ever.”

“Marco, that’s not the only reason I can’t be with you, even if you want to be with me.”

“I want to be with you.”

“I’m a mess.”

“You aren’t.”

“Yes. But there’s more.”

“What is it?”