Julia turned to give me a look I felt without seeing. “How can you be so worried about things that haven’t actually happened, yet be so cool and collected during an actual scary thing? Do you realize how close we came to getting sideswiped?”

“Well, we’re fine, just like I said we would be. And I said we’re not going to worry about Graydon wanting more outreach hours, remember?”

She made a scoffing noise that was almost certainly rude. But since I was feeling the aftereffects of an adrenaline rush—sweaty palms, metallic-tasting mouth, et cetera—I didn’t have the energy to call her on it.

“That’s what you said out loud.” Julia made a talking-hand-puppet gesture I could barely see in the glow of the dashboard lights. “However, in spite of your affirmed and reaffirmed vow to be like your aunt Frances and not worry about anything, we all know you do. Constantly.”

“Not constantly,” I protested.

“Mrr!”

I slid an annoyed glare in my cat’s general direction. “No one asked your opinion, buddy of mine.”

“Oh, dear.” Julia looked through the holes of the cat carrier into its dark interior. “Now you’ve gone and hurt his feelings. You wouldn’t believe the look he’s giving you.”

I could easily believe it. Though my childhood had been without pets due to an allergy-prone father, I’d lived with Eddie long enough to learn a lot. Specifically that cats were better than any creature on earth for expressions that, if the universe were created in a slightly different manner, would reduce the object of those expressions to smoking rubble. They might feel bad about it afterward, but not for long.

“Mrr!” he said again.

“Sounds like he’s trying to tell you something,” Julia said. “What do you think it is? Could it be he’s hit upon the perfect style of engagement ring? Has he found a solution to Graydon’s overly ambitious outreach expansion? Or is he trying to tell us the secret to the universe, life, and everything?”

Smiling at the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference, I said, “Or he’s telling me it’s way past his suppertime. Wonder which scenario is more likely.”

“MRRR!”

“Really?” I asked, wincing at the glass-shattering decibel level. “Could you tone it down a little? The bookmobile is big, but it’s still an enclosed space and—”

Whatever silly thing I’d been about to say was lost forever, because I was suddenly much too busy driving to think about anything else.

“Minnie!” Julia screamed.

This time I didn’t say it would be fine. This time I didn’t say I had it, because I wasn’t sure I did. This time I wasn’t doing anything except smashing my foot on the brakes as fast as I could as hard as I could.