Paul gave a false laugh. “Any way I say ‘I don’t want to marry you’ will make me into a villain. But the truth is that if Kelly and I did marry, she’d be as unhappy as me. She dislikes my trees as much as I dislike her crap-producing animals.”

“I don’t see how you two ever got together in the first place.”

“I had one day of lunacy. Trying to please my stepfather by warming up a snake.”

Adam put his hand up. “It all seems to revolve around your dad.”

“My stepfather.” Paul grimaced. “If Kelly and I were ever in a situation where he could save only one of us, guess which one he’d choose?”

Adam nodded. He hadn’t been in Mason for the last few years, but even he knew Paul was telling the truth. “You still have that ring?” he asked.

“I lied and told Kelly I’d returned it but I didn’t.” His car was nearby and he got it out of the glove box and handed it to Adam.

He opened the little box. “Wow! That’s some ring. Mind if I borrow it?”

“The longer you have it, the more time before Mom finds out the truth.”

“So when are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“You planning to say goodbye to Kelly?”

Paul’s face drained of color. “Not many people know this but Kelly has a temper like a volcano. If you ever want to see it, let her think you’re mistreating one of those flea-ridden creatures she hauls around.”

Adam was looking at the ring. “How much do you care about your reputation in this town?”

“Is that a joke? I’m already a laughingstock. People like the fruit they buy at Safeway. It’s all perfectly shaped and colored and sprayed with every pesticide known to mankind. Ever hear the word organic?”

“Just that it’s from the earth.”

“Close enough. I want to put nonpoisoned food in the grocery stores. I want the whole world to know what ‘organic’ means. I want—”

Adam stood up. “I get it. You should do what drives you, and what other people think be damned. I think Kelly should flash this ring for a while. Then later this summer she can break up with you. How does that sound?”

“I’ll do most anything to keep Kelly from hating me. She’s my best friend. She’s...”

When Adam saw tears gathering in Paul’s eyes, he looked away. “I’ll take care of this.”

“That’s great. I want the best for her. I heard that Seth Murray broke up with his girlfriend. He’s very good-looking and he plays sports and—”

“She can do better than him!” Adam was frowning. “I need to go. I’m meeting Vera for lunch.”