“I can do that,” I told Saylor, and as I said it, I realized that I could. I just had to be careful with scheduling and do, as Bee would say, a leeeeeettle bit of lying. And, I resolved, it was also time to start telling a leeeeeeettle bit of the truth to someone. “But I’m going to do it my way.”

Saylor’s brows drew together. “What does that mean?”

“It means we’re in trouble,” David said, but when he looked at me, he was grinning.

Chapter 26

ON MONDAY, I put my plan into action. Bee, Ryan, Brandon, and I were having lunch in the courtyard underneath one of the big oak trees. Ryan leaned against the trunk, long legs stretched out in front of him. Brandon had Bee in his lap, and if Headmaster Dunn saw that, they’d both end up with detention, but I refrained from mentioning it. Next to me, Ryan nudged my hip with his.

“Harper?”

“Hmm?”

Smiling, Ryan balled up the rest of his sandwich, tossing it at the nearest trash can. It bounced off, of course, and I made a note to remind him to pick it up later. “You are a million miles away,” he said, snaking an arm around my waist and pulling me closer.

“It’s nothing. Thinking,” I said, ducking my head and laying it on his shoulder. I was usually against PDA of any kind, but after neglecting Ryan all weekend, I felt like I owed him a little extra demonstration. He must’ve appreciated that, because he pressed a kiss to my temple.

“You’re always thinking,” he said, more affectionately than accusatory. “And I’m always wondering what about.”

I lifted my head. “We’ve known each other for eight years, been dating for two, and you don’t know what I’m thinking?” I was teasing, but Ryan, still smiling, shook his head.

“Never,” he said. “No idea what goes on in that giant brain of yours.”

I wasn’t sure why the words stung, but they did. He was still grinning guilelessly, his hazel eyes bright, his auburn hair tumbling over his forehead, and he was still so handsome it made my chest tight.

So he didn’t know what I was thinking. Ever, apparently. Big deal.

I snuggled in closer, and said, “I have a lot going on right now.”

From Brandon’s lap, Bee giggled. “You always have a lot going on, Harper. It’s, like, your thing. When you die in a hundred years, they’ll probably write on your gravestone, ‘Here Lies Harper Price—Damn It, She Still Had Stuff to Do!’”

Ryan and Brandon laughed, but I couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through me. A hundred years or three weeks? And damn it, I did still have stuff to do. Starting now.

“Hey, guys?” I said to Brandon and Ryan. “Could I talk to Bee alone for a sec?”