“I suppose I could.”

“You never have?”

He hitched his thumb toward the tractor. “Too busy riding that thing. Not exactly turbo-charged. But I have a good imagination.”

I glanced back at him and grinned. “That’s too bad.”

“And why’s that?”

I tilted my chin and smiled up at him. This was almost too easy. “Because if you did, you could invite me.”

“Uh … well, sure. If you want …”

“Yes. I. Want. What’s your cell?”

“Cell?” I held mine up and waggled it in front of him. “Oh, cell phone. Actually, no. I don’t have one.”

“Geez, Shay Miller,” I said as I scribbled my number down on a scrap of paper from my bag. “Where did you come from, anyway?”

“Nowhere you’d know,” he muttered as he pulled his T-shirt over his head. It was inside out. He shoved his hands into his back pockets and shrugged, swallowed hard, and stared at his worn-out work boots. “So, maybe we can ride this weekend? Sunday?”

“Yeah, Sunday’s perfect.”

“Good. Okay, then.”

“Okay, see ya later, Shay Miller.”

I started to head home, but as I passed through the cold shade of a tall cedar, I heard him call to me. “Hey, Serena?”

I turned back. “Yeah?”

“Why do you keep saying my full name?”

I laughed and thought about Kori and what she might say. Thankful for the tree’s shadow that concealed my blush, I told him, “Because, Shay Miller, it feels good on my tongue.”

“Okay, then,” he said stiffly.

eighteen

As I got dressed for dinner with Doc, I briefly debated taking out my tongue ring, but then, right at seven, the doorbell rang. I sailed down the stairs looking my most innocent and daughterly.

“Destiny, you look … just lovely,” Doc said, smiling from our doorway.

Just lovely? Heh.

Just lovely was the splatter of spaghetti sauce dribbled down the front of Mom’s T-shirt. Her ripped Saturday sweatpants were moderately lovelier.

She locked her elbow straight, barring off the threshold as if Doc were going to barrel through uninvited. “Can I help you, Dr. Ramsey?”

“Sam, please call me Sam.” He spoke the words very slowly, as if she were an animal about to charge and he didn’t want to wave any sort of red flags. He was a smart man; I’d give him that. “Did Serena not mention inviting me to dinner tonight?”

Knowing my mother, she was making a list of all the things she would’ve done if she’d remembered: Washed hair. Vacuumed. Emptied sink. Emptied rank-smelling trash. Gone to grocery. Fixed dinner. Dressed in clothing that wasn’t adorned in food stains. Made her trademark, disorient-them-into-thinking-you-are-the-best-mother-in-the-world 2X chocolate chip cookies. Put in a fresh Glade PlugIn.

“Hi, Doc,” I said as I put my hand on Mom’s arm. “I told you. Remember? In the car?”