“Sorry,” Cal murmured, and I couldn’t help but see the redness that bloomed from her cheeks down her neck as it had been the night before, raised and wet.

“Actually, she goes by Cal, boss.”

Trey popped his head up from over the divider, a gopher in polyester.

“I bet that’s not the only name she asks you to call her,” KQ said, one eyelid stomping out a wink. Cal opened her mouth to protest but didn’t say anything. She was nothing if not disciplined.

“Trey, you ready to head out for that deal?” I asked, standing.

“Sure thing, bucko,” he said.

“You too, Cal,” I added, and I caught a flicker of relief in her face before she nodded and reached for her binder.

LILY

SILAS KICKED OFF HIS boots and came into the kitchen, smelling of fresh dirt. He put Lily’s phone down on the counter. “Here, I found this in the boathouse.”

Lily’s heart jumped, but when she clicked open the phone, she had no messages, nothing suspicious. So she breathed a silent sigh of relief and tucked the phone into her pocket.

“Where have you been?” she asked. She had made a pitcher of iced tea and was squeezing the last of the lemons. “I didn’t see you out by the garden.”

“I was actually touching up the firepit.”

Lily froze. That’s where she left the poppies.

“Why would you want to mess with the firepit? We haven’t used it in ages.”

“Well, maybe we would if it weren’t so decrepit,” Silas said, reaching for the pitcher. “Ha, decrepit. I’m hilarious.”

Lily poured her own glass, just to keep her hands busy.

“I think I’m going to put some whiskey in this. You want some?”

Lily nodded, and Silas took their glasses into the living room.

“What happened with the kids last night? I saw Mickey, and she had a full-on guilt face. She even hugged me.”

“They decided to have a séance,” he answered as he poured liberally.

“What? For whom?”

“For Sarah. I went to check on Mickey before going to bed, and they weren’t there, so I went looking.” Silas handed Lily her glass and lifted his to his lips.

“Jesus. Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I would’ve if I hadn’t found them on the property. I figured they went out for a night swim. You know, like we used to.”

The memories came back for both of them: cold water and hot breath, moonlight and tan lines. Sharing one towel because they forgot a second. Because they shared everything.

“I told you Ruth was a bad influence,” Lily said.

The words drew a firm line in time. It was something she never would’ve said back then.