“Oh,” says Finn. She is wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt – not one of those nice T-shirts that women wear, soft and scoop-necked and fitted to their bodies, but a plain, shapeless man’s T-shirt with Superior Tours screen-printed onto it.

“I like your shirt,” Tanya says.

“Oh,” Finn says again. “It’s my dad’s. I didn’t pack very well.” Her tone is defensive, as though Tanya is making fun of her. But Tanya does like the T-shirt. She’s not trying too hard, and so Tanya can tell that she is actually pretty. Not like her sister, who does try too hard and ends up looking ugly.

“Would you like something to drink?” Tanya is being polite to make up for the bruise under Finn’s eye, but she really does want them to stay. It’s for research purposes, she tells herself. Nothing more. She has never seen a Parker this close. Except for the boy, of course, but he is half Vaughn, so it’s not quite the same thing.

“Maybe some water,” Finn says. “It’s pretty warm in here.” As Tanya goes into the kitchen, it occurs to her that maybe Finn is doing her own research. She lived with Dallas for seven years, three months, and four days. Even though he cheated on her with her sister, she must still be curious to see what his life is like now. Compare it against her own, see who is winning. As Tanya runs the water, she has to stop herself from turning around to see what Finn is doing: looking under seat covers, peeking in the bedroom, shuffling through the mail. What if she already knew that Dallas wasn’t going to be home? What if this was her plan all along?

Finn and Dallas met in a philosophy class at Lakehead University. Tanya and Dallas met at the grocery store a year ago. Finn is the same age as Dallas. Tanya is eight years younger, almost a different generation. Dallas has told her he liked Finn’s independence, and her smile. He likes Tanya’s intensity, and her butt. Finn was there for Dallas when his younger brother died in that boating accident. Tanya has never even met Dallas’s parents. Still, she and Finn have more in common than they might imagine.

Tanya returns to the living room with two glasses of water. When she hands one to the boy his hands are surprisingly cold, considering the temperature in the apartment. He carries the glass over to the couch with both hands and sits down, drinks it with big gulps.

“He was thirsty,” Tanya says, handing the other glass to Finn.

“He had something to drink on the way here,” Finn says. Defensively, again. Tanya doesn’t blame her. She would be defensive around herself, too.