“A little too spinny.” He looked up; his face had taken on a greenish tint. “A little too spinny after eating. I’m just going to—” He pointed toward a trash can, unable to finish his sentence, and hightailed it out of the cup. Alexa got herself out, located Cam’s back near the trash can and turned away, to give him privacy. But then a good amount of time passed. Not just seconds, definitely minutes. She wondered if he was okay. She turned back to the trash can and didn’t see him. She checked out the game booths. She looked in the line for the lemonade stand. Then she spotted him, over by the line for the junior sports cars. Cam was more than okay. He was smiling and laughing. He was in an animated conversation with . . . Shelby McIntyre.

Alexa walked closer. Shelby was back from Africa, apparently; she was overseeing a day camp field trip. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing a T-shirt that said counselor on it in block letters.

“Hey,” she said. “I couldn’t find you, Cam. Hi, Shelby.”

“You two know each other, right?” Cam looked uneasy, but it was possible his stomach was still roiling from the teacup rides.

“Absolutely,” said Shelby. Her mouth opened and closed and she looked from Alexa to Cam and back again.

“Great to see you,” said Alexa to Shelby amicably.

Shelby did not take the opportunity to say that it was also nice to see Alexa. Shelby turned to Cam and said, “I have to get back to the kids now. But I’ll definitely call you about that thing, okay?” She touched his arm when she said that.

“What thing?” asked Alexa. Nobody answered her.

Once Shelby was gone, Alexa could feel that Cam’s attention had wandered off, perhaps following Shelby to the Jungle Bounce. She couldn’t have that.

“There’s something I want to tell you,” she said. “Nobody else knows this, but I want to tell you. Just you, Cam. Only you.” She spoke quickly, before she had time to lose her nerve. “You know Katie? Well. You won’t believe what I found out about her.”

Cam’s attention was right where she wanted it. “Something bad?”

Alexa hesitated. “I’m not sure. I mean, yes. I mean, it’s not good.”

He looked worried. “About her? That little girl? Isn’t she like ten?”

“Eleven,” said Alexa. “Same as Morgan. And it was actually about her and her mother, what I found out. About both of them together. I’m not sure, but I think it’s a pretty big deal. I just—I just feel like I have to tell someone, Cam. Like I can’t keep it a secret any longer. I’m scared.” With each word she could feel the power of Shelby McIntyre receding.

“Scared?” he said. “What are you scared of?”