Chad’s lips parted. In his face, I thought I saw some of the torture I was feeling. For a horrible moment I didn’t think they were going to leave. I sensed he wanted to say more, but he didn’t.

Please just go.

Penny swallowed. Hard. “See ya around, Babe,” she said. Her fingers curled around Chad’s bicep.

Chad’s eyes turned downcast. He ground the toe of his shoe into the sand, eyelashes golden. His eyes were hidden from me. “Bye.” He let himself be led away, loping after Penny.

Neither one of them looked back.

I exhaled and closed my eyes. My stomach churned and suddenly I wasn’t sure I was hungry at all.

A pretty blonde stepped out of the crowd of Lorcan’s regulars. She wiggled her fingers, smiling invitingly.

Dani. The first person I’d gone out with after Elodie dumped me. She still wore the same round glasses and magenta lipstick. Her other hand was draped around a girl I didn’t know, a girlfriend maybe. I shyly waved back, mouthing Hi. I pulled my cell phone from the wristlet looped around my wrist, digging past the makeup and crumpled bills. Checking the time, I saw that it wasn’t yet eight.

While I was stuffing my phone inside my wristlet, something landed on the sand next to me. Not Chad and Penny again. I looked up.

“Levi!” I stamped down the unease my friends had caused. Then I looked at the basket lying in the sand. “Picnic?” I reached out to open it, but he made a soft tsking noise.

“Let me spread out the blanket first,” he said, unfolding one from under his arm.

Obligingly, I sat up, shook sand off my clothing, and helped him flap the checkered sheet over the spot I was sitting on.

“Did you cook?” I asked with interest, watching as he pulled out two bottles of lemonade and several containers of food.

He chuckled and ran a hand through his loose waves. “Only some of it. The rest is from the deli.”

I hummed in appreciation as I recognized some of the goodies he spread out on the sheet. A cold chicken-and-rice pilaf, lobster rolls drizzled with curry mayonnaise and crunchy kaffir leaves, black bean and cherry tomato quinoa salad, and two bulging pulled-chicken sandwiches.

“Oh my God. We’re going to eat all this?”

“I didn’t know what you’d be in the mood for,” he said with a laugh. “I wound up getting a few different things.” He handed me a paper plate. “Eat up. I don’t want to take any of this back.”

“Good thing I came hungry,” I said, reaching for the fork he offered me. “So what did you make?”