She swung her face back to me. I could see her accusation plainly—why didn’t you tell me my idol was living in Oar’s Rest?

Yeah, well. There were a lot of things she didn’t exactly keep me informed about, too. I pushed her cake to the customer’s side of the counter and bit the inside of my cheek. She had her cake, now she could leave. “Cake’s ready!” I called out.

Elodie waved her hand in a yeah, yeah motion. “So what are you working on right now?” she asked, nodding toward Levi’s sketchbook.

“Nothing ready to share,” he said with an awkward smile, getting up. “I’m kind of looking at this residency as a way of resetting my creativity. Getting back to why I started doing this in the first place.”

“Oh.”

I smiled to myself, pleased to see her excitement deflate. If I was being totally honest, I was glad he hadn’t shown her.

Not skipping a beat, Elodie followed him up to the counter. “I think that’s a really good idea. Refilling your creative well.” She smiled and pushed her hair over her shoulder. “I’m renting studio time this week at the center. I’d love to maybe collab on something with you,” she said. She pulled her wallet from the back pocket of her shorts and peeled a bill out.

While I gave her the change, Levi caught my eye and gave me a crooked smile.

“I’m Elodie, by the way,” she continued, undeterred. “I’m back from CalArts for the summer.” She moved out of the way so he could pay his bill.

“CalArts, huh?” Levi glanced at her sideways. “I’ve heard that’s a good school.”

Elodie’s smile turned even brighter. “It is! What about you—are you in art school? Or, like, what else are you up to?”

“I’m still figuring it out,” said Levi, taking his change.

I was hyperaware of Levi’s warmth and the way the tips of our fingers grazed as I pulled my hand away.

“You could take your pick of any school you wanted,” said Elodie.

“Yeah, maybe.” He fidgeted with the coins in his hand. He caught my eye and I knew he was remembering the same night on the beach that I was.

Elodie didn’t take the hint. “Any thoughts yet about where you might want to apply?”

“It might be nice to do something other than art,” he said.

I sent him an encouraging smile.

“Oh,” said Elodie, tilting her head to the side. I could read the doubt on her face. “But why would you want to? You’ve already made it on the art scene. Why would you major in anything else?”

“You sound like my parents,” said Levi. His smile dimmed. “They’re not crazy about me pursuing other options.”