While they disappeared into the kitchen, I sat down and took in Saylor Stark’s dining room. Like the rest of the house, it seemed slightly . . . crowded. Even the wallpaper was busy, covered in a pattern I couldn’t quite make out. There was a heavy curio cabinet in the corner, filled with all kinds of knickknacks, and more pictures on the wall. I scanned the faces, wondering if any of them were David’s parents. Most of the pictures did seem to be of young, shiny-haired, smiling people, but none of them actually looked like David.

Frowning, I leaned forward, trying to see more clearly. But before I could, David came back in, a small stack of plates and some silverware in his hands.

“We need to talk,” I whispered quickly, darting a glance at the door to the kitchen. “After dinner. I think I found out some—”

“Here we are!” Saylor trilled, carrying a steaming pot. After sitting it on a terra-cotta trivet in the middle of the table, Saylor took the seat at the head of the table, David to her left, me to her right. The smell from the pot was mouth-watering, and I suddenly realized I’d been so nervous about Ryan that I hadn’t eaten lunch.

“My aunts make chicken and dumplings,” I offered. “My mom tries, but she can never get them quite right.”

Saylor gave me an indulgent smile. “The secret is white pepper. I bet your aunts know that. Which reminds me, I need to call your Aunt Jewel. Can’t have Cotillion without her famous punch!”

I tried to hide my shudder. I loved Aunt Jewel, but her punch—a truly dreadful concoction made from white grape juice, ginger ale, Hawaiian Punch, and practically a pound of sugar—made my teeth hurt. Still, I nodded at Saylor. “She’d like that. And actually, speaking of Cotillion—”

But before I could say anything else, Saylor held one manicured finger up to her lips. “We can talk about that later. Let’s say grace first.”

She reached out her hand and took mine, lifting her other hand to David. He took it and then held his other hand out to me.

I laid my palm in his.

When I was eleven, my family was visiting my uncle’s farm and Leigh-Anne dared me to touch an electric fence. It had been stupid, but I did what my big sister asked. The shock had blown me off my feet and made my whole arm numb for nearly an hour.

What happened in Saylor Stark’s dining room felt a lot like that. Power surged through me, and every nerve in my body screamed. Saylor’s rings felt almost unbearably hot against my skin, and for one dizzying second, I thought I could smell something burning.