“You going to Casey’s party?”

“Casey’s what?” Even as I spoke the words, I remembered Casey pulling me aside in the store and asking if I’d attend her graduation party. “Ugh. That’s today, isn’t it?”

“Yup. You want me to pick you up?”

“Doug, I don’t think I can go. In fact, I even told her I couldn’t.”

“Right. Tell me right now, immediately, what you have to do instead.”

“Well, I, uh—”

“Too slow. You have nothing going on.”

“I’m just not in a party mood.”

“The beauty of that is that when people aren’t in party moods, that’s actually when they need a party the most.”

“Doug—”

“Come on! How can you not acknowledge the achievements of some brainiac math major who’s graduating early, for fuck’s sake?”

“Latvian.”

“What?”

“Math and Latvian. Dual majors.”

“You’re making my point for me. It would be sad and wrong if we didn’t help her celebrate. She overcame a life of adversity, coming to this country in the hopes of making a better life for herself and her family.”

“Doug, she’s, like, fourth generation. Her dad’s a neurosurgeon.”

“Come on! Maddie’s gotta stay and close, so I have no one to go with. That, and it’s kind of creepy how I’ve been going to social events with my sister lately. I need you to make me look like a man again.”

“Doug—”

“See you in five minutes, Kincaid.”

I knew how Doug could be in these moods. He wasn’t kidding about showing up in five minutes, and he was also right that I had nothing else to do. With so little time, I simply shape-shifted into a plain gray skirt and black blouse that seemed appropriate for a graduation party. While rustling around for a blank card that I could stick a check into, I dialed Dante to let him know I was in town and to see if he wanted to come with us. Like usual lately, I went to his voice mail. What was it with me and unreliable men? I’d had trouble getting a hold of Seth when we dated because he was always caught up writing. Now I had trouble getting a hold of Dante because . . . well, because he was unreliable. I left Casey’s address with the message and hurried to get ready. I’d wanted to wear Dante’s watch but couldn’t find it before Doug showed up—honestly, it had been more like four minutes—so I ended up just running out the door without accessories.

Casey’s family lived over in Clyde Hill, a beautiful lakeside suburb befitting a neurosurgeon’s family. The party had been going on for about an hour when we arrived, and we found their expansive backyard filled with music, food, and people. Dusk was falling, and the soft glow of lanterns strung along trees and the fence line gave everything a sort of elfin mystique. We paused at the yard’s entry, assessing our surroundings and looking for others we knew.

“This is kind of wholesome for me,” Doug noted. “There are kids here.”