Jess scowled at me, screwing up her mouth to protest, but Julia howled excitedly, “Ooh, yes, girl, keep it a surprise!” She leaned around me, lifting her eyebrows in a cartoonishly pervy way. “Trust me, you’re going to have fun.”

“Hm, we’ll see about that,” Jess said, although the skepticism in her tone softened jokingly. Julia rang us up and was handing my card back when the jingle of the doorbell caught her attention.

“Sorry, guys. Duty calls.” She lifted her hand and gave the same enthusiastic greeting to the overwhelmed-looking couple who’d walked in, then lowered her voice and said, “Ooh, I think I’ve got some first-timers. They’ll either freak out and bail or buy the whole shop. Time to work some magic! I’ll see you around!”

Jess’s stomach was rumbling as we left the shop, although she tried to deny it. But there was a fast-food place right across the street, and the smell of grilled onions and greasy burgers drew me. We took a table outside to eat, the striped umbrella overhead shielding us from the sun.

Jess inhaled her burger before I’d eaten even half of mine.

“I had a hard workout this morning,” she said, when she noticed me eyeing her empty tray. “And I had a small breakfast —”

“Chill, girl.” I chuckled as I poked a handful of fries at her. “Who the hell taught you that you need to justify what you eat?”

She stared at me for a moment before she stammered out, “Oh, uh, my mom, I guess. She’s always been picky about food.”

“That’s not being picky, it’s being invasive. It’s no one’s damn business what you eat, as long as you’re eating.” She smiled, reaching across the table and grabbing some of my fries. “There you go. Steal as much as you want.”

Her smile widened and she pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged on the red plastic seat. There was such a difference between the way she smiled in public — at parties, with her friends, her peers — than she did here, with me. This smile was far more open. It was honest rather than a carefully formulated expression. I liked that. I wanted to see it more.

I wanted to see every expression she had, as raw as I could get it.

I had a view of the parking lot from my seat, so I saw the old red Chevy as soon as it pulled in. It was loud, puttering as if it had an exhaust leak, and my eyes followed it, although I didn’t think much of it. It parked crooked and the engine cut off, but I was already looking at Jess again when the driver stepped out.

I didn’t see him clearly until he was passing by our table. Then I glanced up, and nearly fucking choked on a mouthful of burger.