“I don’t?” It was like his mind went blank for a moment. Then he said, “I am. Of course I am! But jeez, it’s too nice a night to be talking grim, whatever the news. Speaking of which, congrats on the boat find.”

Definitely changing the subject. “I guess.”

“What? There’s a downside?”

“A squatter girl had to die for it.”

“Ah.” He turned to look at me. “Better her than you. Or one of your denmates.”

“That’s what everyone says. But that’s just letting it go by.”

“Accepting a necessity isn’t the same as letting it go by. Didn’t that Grace say you gave her a proper funeral?”

“You think that’s enough?”

“It shows regret and respect. The best that can be expected, given the circumstance.”

I shrugged. Something itched between my shoulders. My overactive conscience? I tried to mirror the water’s dark calm, reflecting only what I wanted him to see.

“Hey.” Daniel reached across to touch my bandaged hand with one finger.

It was kindly meant, but I jerked away. “She was so young.”

“So are you.”

“I’m not a baby! I see where the world is going.”

His voice hardened. “I meant, now you have your life ahead of you, instead of losing it to a sniper’s bullet.”

His sternness stung like a rebuke. I preferred the smiling, madcap Daniel to this old scold. But something distant in his eyes backed me off a full-tilt pout. “Rousseau calls me resistant.”

“It’s good to hold tight to your values. So few do.”

“But sometimes it’s just plain dumb, right?” I eased away from him on the seat. I needed to keep him at arm’s length.

“I didn’t mean . . .” He rubbed his brow fitfully. “Okay, redirect. How’s the reading?”

But he did, didn’t he? “Reading? Storms and death raids and the breakdown of order on the Mainland, and all you can talk about is reading?” I zipped open my gut wallet, yanked out the old book in its linen wrapping, and thrust it at him. “Here. You keep it.”

“What?” He drew back like I’d offered hot coals.

“I don’t want it anymore.”

“Why not?” His stricken look said I’d thrown him off balance at last. “Aren’t we going to try reading it together?” He unwrapped the book, letting the linen lie soft in his hand, then opened it and held it out to me.

“It’s too dark out here.”

“We can go inside.”

“I don’t want . . .”

“Glimmer, what on earth is the . . . ?”

“Outstanding!” Rubio burst through the open door as if spat out by the crowd, waving a large black rectangle. “I can’t believe you have a copy of this!”

“Really?” Daniel glided back to the stern bench, looking both troubled and relieved. “What is it?”