Sarah would have to pass by this tent, this man, on their way out—they all would.

“Kiki,” she shouted, “Kiki!” Sarah hurried toward her, smiling, smiling, smiling. “Hi—hi, what’s going on?”

“Are you okay?”

“Am I okay? I’m fine! It’s so beautiful here. Don’t you think it’s beautiful?”

Kiki was looking both at and beyond her, as if Kiki could sense that something strange might have just taken place. I mean, she could imagine Kiki whispering to Arman about her, the years have not been kind.

“Let me hold Sylvie.” Sarah walked Kiki back in the direction of their outing spot in the sun. “Have a swim, please.”

“You know you’re shivering, right?”

“I’m not cold.” In a sudden burst of sadness, Sarah threw an arm around Kiki. “Really.” Sarah continued to walk with Kiki awkwardly crushed into her side. “I’d tell you.”

“You wouldn’t,” Kiki responded lightly.

“Of course I would. Why wouldn’t I tell you if I was cold?”

“Because you want me to get in that water. Because you want me to feel the freedom you felt when you had the chance to swim away.” Kiki stopped and looked up at Sarah with her big gray eyes. “You’re generous like that. Or needy.” Kiki forced a laugh. “Or … something. I don’t know anymore.” She looked down, fidgeted with a button on her gauzy and somehow fashionably tattered dress. “I don’t know. It’s been such a long time since we’ve really talked so I don’t want to speak out of turn, but—”

“Can we take a walk?” Sarah interrupted.

“Aren’t we doing that?”

“I mean a longer one.”

“I don’t know. Sylvie will need to—”

“Can’t Arman take her?” Sarah knew she sounded impatient, which she was, and her heart was still racing from the thought of that man, with his flesh and bone and muscle and blood and how she’d let him touch her.

She hadn’t exactly wanted that man. But she hadn’t wanted to scream.

“Fine.” Kiki’s unembellished tone made Sarah realize that up until this moment Kiki had been faking something. “Fine. We’ll pass by them without stopping. We can’t stop. If Sylvie sees me, I’ll get sucked in.”

They walked in silence, finding the same rhythm.

“Why do you keep turning around?” Kiki asked.

“I don’t.”

“Did you see that tent back there when we walked from the cars?”

Sarah’s stomach dropped before she nodded.

Kiki nodded. They were both quiet for a while. “I hate it here,” Kiki finally said.

“You—”

“Hate it,” Kiki snapped. “I hate it.”

“At the lake or…?”

“Here. Living here.”

“Oh,” Sarah said dumbly. “But I thought—”