We pulled up in front of the white concrete building that I knew a little too well now, and my stomach turned. I’d been so distracted, I’d forgotten that I was coming to jail.

“I’ll be right here,” Merit said.

“I’ll be quick.” He looked kind of, I don’t know, stricken or something, so I said, “I promise I’ll be fine. My dad will be there to take care of me.”

“Yeah, that makes me feel a lot better,” he said under his breath.

The way he said it made me feel wistful. Because I wanted Merit to want to take care of me. I wanted him to be the one keeping me safe and guarding my heart. I took a moment to appreciate the way his hair brushed across his forehead. That Sophie was so lucky, and she didn’t even know it.

“It’s fine,” I said.

“It’s fine, it’s all fine, everything’s fine,” Merit said back, smiling. When I didn’t move, he added, “Hurry up! I’m not hanging around prison for fun.”

I had called ahead, so Dad was waiting in his normal spot, on the couch by the window in the visiting room. “Hey, kiddo,” he said. “I’m surprised Mom let you come by yourself.”

“Uh-huh.”

He gave me his sideways dad-look. “Iris. Does your mother know you’re here?”

It wasn’t like I could flat-out lie. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t tell her. “Well, I probably mentioned it to her. But she might have been busy when I did.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So, like, maybe don’t bring it up.”

“Iris…”

“Dad! Mom couldn’t come today, and I wanted to see you! Don’t you want to see me?”

He took my hand. “Of course I want to see you, sweetie. But I want you to be safe.”

“Merit came with me,” I said. “He’ll keep me safe.” Everything inside of me melted like hot liquid when I said that.

Dad sighed. “Well, you’re here. So, tell me what’s going on.”

I filled him in on all the details of Belle Epoque on the Beach that I hadn’t told him yet in our quick phone calls—except for the judge part, which would needlessly hurt his feelings.

“Man, I hated to miss that,” he said. “Your mother is always the most beautiful woman there.”

In my normal life, I would have rolled my eyes. Now they filled with tears. There’s nothing like a huge crisis to put things in perspective. “Dad, the best part of all of it is that a lot of people really believe you’re innocent now.” I paused. “How is Oliver coming on proving that?”