Leelo had laughed at the implication, not wanting to deny her feelings too much; that would only make Mama more suspicious. But she’d never told her mother explicitly not to say anything to her aunt.

Ketty glanced meaningfully at Leelo. “I see. Is there something you want to tell me?”

“I—”

“About what?” Sage returned and dropped the full waterskins on the picnic blanket next to Leelo, oblivious to the tension radiating off her. She plunked down so close that she bumped Leelo’s thigh and reached for a strawberry, twirling it by the stem.

“Leelo has a secret romance,” Ketty said, her voice tinged with that tiny hint of suspicion she always had when it came to Leelo.

Sage laughed around the strawberry. “No, she doesn’t.”

Leelo glanced at her mother, who was averting her gaze, having realized her mistake too late. If Leelo hadn’t told Sage about the boy she liked, then Leelo was clearly trying to keep this a secret, and Fiona had just outed her.

Leelo wasn’t sure what to do. If she denied it, either Mama would appear to be a liar or Leelo would. But if she told them the truth, she would arouse Sage’s curiosity, and that would make it even harder to get time to herself.

“It’s Matias,” she blurted, choosing the name of a boy roughly their age out of thin air. “Matias Johnson. I haven’t told anyone about it because he doesn’t know I exist.” That part, at least, was true. Matias was another Watcher, but he lived on the far side of the island. Leelo knew nothing about him, other than that he had two older brothers and that his mother was a potter. She instantly wished she’d chosen another name, someone more credible, but it was too late now.

Sage screwed up her nose in disbelief. “What?”

Leelo blushed under her family’s scrutiny. “I know, it’s a little unexpected. But I think he’s nice and attractive. We danced at the summer solstice festival.” Lies, lies, and more lies. Leelo hadn’t danced with anyone that night, and she didn’t think Matias was attractive. He wasn’t unattractive; Leelo simply had never thought of him that way.

Fiona was watching Leelo from the corner of her eye, clearly not persuaded by her fabrication. She couldn’t have chosen a blander way to describe a boy she supposedly liked.

Ketty glanced away finally. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Matias is as good as engaged himself. His mother told me at the most recent council meeting. He and Reddy Wells have been promised to each other for ages now. I’m surprised you didn’t know.”

Leelo flushed further, which at least seemed like an appropriate reaction to the news that her love interest was spoken for. “Oh.”