She closes the window on Olivia’s dream dorm and looks her up on social media, where Willa discovers Olivia was a cheerleader, honors student, and state champion in singles tennis. There are pictures of Olivia with her friends at parties, church, football games, school dances, and even building a Habitat for Humanity home. There are pictures of her boyfriend, Jack. Of Olivia with her sisters, Chloe and Sophia—all three of them were adopted from China, according to one of the photo captions. Hashtag “blessed.” Of Olivia at her high school graduation with her white parents, Craig and Robyn.

By most metrics Olivia Szymanski seems like the ideal roommate. But Willa would rather live with someone who secretly smokes or listens to death metal or keeps her toenails in a jar than one who reminds her so much—too much—of Finley Donoghue. Willa is not ready for that kind of friend again.

She’s not ready for any of it.

Leaving Olivia’s e-mail unanswered, she returns to her in-box to read the response from her mother.

To: Willa <[email protected]>

From: Mom <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: Re: I’m worried about you.

I love you very much, but my personal life is not up for debate. I hope you can respect that.

The fish in Willa’s chest gets bigger, and she wishes her mom could understand that it’s not just about her personal life. Colleen Ryan is a smart woman who is quick to learn new things, and Willa knows her mother could do anything she set her mind to do. If only she would set her mind.

To: Mom <[email protected]>

From: Willa <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: Re: Re: I’m worried about you.

I didn’t drop my phone in the lake. I threw it, because I was angry and frustrated and so, so tired of constantly worrying about you. You deserve better—and I’m not just talking about Steve. I want you to have a secure job, a car that doesn’t come with a laundry list of problems, and, yeah, someone who wants you to be his one and only. I can’t force you to do any of these things, but I hope you’ll at least think about it. I love you, do you love me?

Willa hits the send button before she loses her nerve. She doesn’t feel like trying to answer Finley’s clue anymore, so she does a generic Internet search for things to do in Norfolk. They could tour the naval base or the USS Wisconsin, but Willa is no more interested in warships than Taylor would be. As she scrolls through the list of suggestions, Willa comes across an art studio called the Mermaid Factory.