“You’re overusing that Labor Day thing,” Alice grumbled. “It’s going to lose its power before June’s over, definitely before the Fourth of July.”

“Such a grouch.” Charlie took a strand of Alice’s hair, stretched it against Alice’s arm to see how long it was. It reached the crook part. “Come on, hang out a little bit. You might even have fun.”

Alice didn’t want to hang out, but even less did she want to go up to her room and brood about her mom and Richard, or feel guilty for not calling Patrick back, so she nodded. Let Charlie lead her by the hand past the tall, spotty mirror in the entranceway to the front door.

• • •

Alice couldn’t take the scene on the deck for more than an hour. Really, she couldn’t take it for more than a half hour, but Jude had broken out a joint and she didn’t want him to think that she was leaving because she was scandalized by his oh-so-risqué behavior, so she gritted her teeth, readjusted her weight in the chair, knowing she’d have to stick around for another thirty minutes now. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him. He was bringing the joint to his lips, soft and pink and in the shape of a bow. There was something corrupt about his looks. There was something corrupt about him. Alice could see that he was interested in Charlie. Amused might be a better word, might more accurately convey the superiority of his attitude, its air of aristocratic condescension. Like he thought Charlie was sexy and charming, a pretty diversion, but his feelings for her didn’t run any deeper than that. Charlie was sure all caught up in him, though, which was just the way he wanted it, as caught up in him as Cybill was. (Both girls played it cool, pretending that their interest in him was casual, but sharp glances here and there betrayed their true feelings.) Alice bet that sex wasn’t even what he was after. Not sex for its own sake. No, he was the type that was far more excited by the game than the conquest. Manipulating people, bending them to his will—that was what really turned him on. A bad-news guy, no question.