“Let’s just say we don’t see eye to eye.”

Joy stares at him. “What did you do?

“Nothing.” He’s lying. Malcolm’s tell is always looking quickly to the left and then making direct eye contact. “But that’s not the most important part. Summer wants to meet you. She asked me to ask you to come along.”

Joy presses her lips together so her jaw doesn’t fall open and slam into her keyboard. Her mouth barely moves as she asks, “You told her about me?”

He nods. “Of course. She can’t wait to meet you.”

“So. You’re not inviting me? Summer is?” She unclenches her left hand and transfers the stress ball to her right, immediately putting it back into a death grip.

“No, no, it’s not like that. Of course I want you there.”

Joy’s heart drops as she watches Malcolm look to the left and to her again. He continues, “It’s just . . . I don’t know if you’d have a good time. That’s all. But. If you do come, I was hoping you could do me a favor? Fox is . . . a lot. Maybe you could keep him company.”

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to try being an escort.” She hates how breathless, almost winded from shock, she sounds. “Will I be getting paid?”

“Joy, that’s not funny.”

“What? I think I’d be good at it. I happen to be an excellent companion.”

“I’m aware.” And there it is—the smile that never fails to light up her whole world. Even when she’s been plunged into suffocating darkness, he’s there to lift her back up with hardly any effort. “I’d like to spend as much time with Summer as possible, but I know her. She’s going to spend all her time making sure Fox doesn’t feel like a third wheel because she knows we don’t really get along.”

“And if I’m there, it’ll be four-wheel drive.”

Malcolm gives her a rare laugh. Puns and wordplay aren’t exactly his favorite thing about her. “We could just sort of naturally pair up for some of the activities I have planned.”

“Natural. Organic. Not at all from concentrate or staged.”

“Joy.”

“What?”

“Will you please come and spend time with Fox?”

Malcolm waits for her to say something. She doesn’t. Her voice feels shaky, so it’ll probably sound worse. How could she have been so wrong about everything? The secret trip isn’t for her, he isn’t planning to ask her to be with him because there’s a Summer, and he wants to pawn Joy off on a Fox.

This is hell. Hell truly is other people.