“I do not.” She was aware that she sounded like a petulant child, but she didn’t care. “And even if I did, which I don’t, it doesn’t matter. The listing for the inn goes up today. I start my new job in less than a week. My parents are converting the den back into a bedroom until I can find a new apartment.” She got up. It was instinctive. She needed to move. This was what she’d felt like that day on the roof. Restless and caged. Like she needed to flee.

“Right,” Maya said. “Okay.”

She was hurt. Eve could hear it in her voice. “You want to wait for me to go shopping? We’ll be back tomorrow.”

“I can’t. I’m doing the day camp.”

“Right.” Maya was doing a kids’ theater one-day camp, a test run of her idea for a longer one next summer.

“Anyway, it wasn’t really about the antiquing. I just thought it would be…a fun outing.” She cleared her throat. “I’m really going to miss you, okay? I had a whole last-hurrah day planned.” Her tone had become defensive. It startled Eve to realize she knew Maya well enough to know that she masked negative emotions like fear and sadness with combativeness.

“I’m really going to miss you, too. I—” Her eyes and throat started burning in tandem.

“I know,” Maya said softly. “Me, too.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

Sawyer expected moving Clara into university would churn up a lot of emotions. He just hadn’t expected awkwardness to be one of them.

But there they were, crammed into her small room, staring at each other. All the boxes were moved in. Many of them were already unpacked. Evie had made both girls’ beds.

There was nothing left to do.

His stomach growled. Maybe that’s what was left to do—dinner. They could walk somewhere—Evie would know where to go—and have some food. Put off saying goodbye.

Lynn’s mother appeared in the doorway. “We’re going to head back to our hotel, sweetie. We’ll pop by and see you in the morning before we head to the airport.”

So he should probably offer to take Lynn to dinner, too? He liked Lynn a lot, but he kind of wanted Clara to himself for one last evening. Well, Clara and Evie, of course.

Lynn hugged her mother. “You know you can come with us to the hotel if you want, have dinner and spend the night,” her mom said.

“Thanks, Mom, but there’s a bunch of people from the floor going for dinner.”

“I know. I know.” Lynn’s mom pulled back, and her eyes were suspiciously bright. Sawyer’s eyes started to sting like they wanted to get in on the action. “You should go with your new friends.”