The girl looked like she might be thirteen or so, although she hadn’t lost her baby fat, so she could have been younger. She wore a dirty pink jacket with a Juicy logo and muddy lavender cords that had a V-shaped tear at the knee. Blue put her wrist to her mouth to lick up the coffee. The child’s wild, curly brown hair tumbled over a round, grimy cheek. She’d fallen asleep awkwardly, her back wedged against the dark green backpack she’d shoved into the porch corner. She had olive-toned skin, bold, dark eyebrows, and a straight nose she hadn’t quite grown into. Her polished blue fingernails were bitten to the quick. But despite her grime, her clothes looked expensive, as did her sneakers. This kid had BIG CITY written all over her, which meant another wanderer had shown up at Dean’s farm.

Blue set down her mug and made her way to the child’s side. Crouching down, she gently touched her arm. “Hey, you,” she whispered.

The girl jumped, and her eyes shot open. They were the toasty brown of caramelized sugar.

“It’s okay,” Blue said, trying to calm the fear she saw there. “Good morning.”

The child struggled to sit up, and a morning croak deepened her soft southern accent. “I—I didn’t hurt anything.”

“Not a whole lot out here to hurt.”

She tried to shove the hair out of her eyes. “I wasn’t…supposed to fall asleep.”

“You didn’t pick a very comfortable bed.” She looked too skittish for Blue to cross-examine just yet. “Would you like some breakfast?”

The child’s front teeth sank into her bottom lip. They were straight, but still a little big for her face. “Yes, ma’am. If that’s okay?”

“I was hoping someone would show up to keep me company. My name is Blue.”

The child struggled to her feet and picked up her backpack. “I’m Riley. Are you the help?”

Obviously, she came from a privileged background. “Help or hindrance,” Blue replied. “It depends on my mood.”

Riley was too young to appreciate an adult smart-ass. “Is…like anybody here?”

“I am.” Blue opened the front door and gestured for Riley to enter.

Riley peered around as she came inside. Her voice quivered with disappointment. “It’s not done. There isn’t any furniture.”

“A little. The kitchen’s almost finished.”

“So…nobody’s living here now?”

Blue decided to dodge the question until she figured out what the kid was up to. “I’m so hungry. How about you? Do you feel like eggs or cereal?”

“Cereal, please.” Dragging her heels, Riley followed her down the hallway to the kitchen.

“The bathroom’s right there. It doesn’t have a door yet, but the painters won’t be here for a while, so if you’d like to wash up, nobody’ll bother you.”