“Right hand blue, left foot red,” she said, and suddenly they were face-to-face, so close that he could smell her breath. She smelled like coffee. Had she already had coffee?

“What are you smiling about?” They were so close now that all she had to do was whisper.

“Just smiling.” He saw that she had a little bit of chocolate at the corner of her lip. Just a tiny melted bit. “Have you been eating chocolate?”

“Are you stalking me?”

He pointed to the corner of her mouth. She stuck out the tip of her tongue and reached it around to the edge of her lip. She worked her tongue into the crease. He felt himself heating up.

“Did I get it?”

“Almost. May I?” He touched her lip with his thumb, wiping away the rest of it.

She was blushing. But not unwinding the leashes. He wasn’t unwinding either, but the dogs were starting to tumble, which threatened to knock them down. He took her right hand in his and Rex’s leash in his left, and unwound the leashes, freeing them from each other. His hand was still in hers though. They both saw, then let go.

“So, coffee!” he said.

“Right! And ginger tea!”

He gave Allison Rex’s leash, then he braved Lucy again, feeling fortified.

Lucy all but rolled her eyes at the sight of him. “Again?”

He ordered.

“And two paper cups, I presume.” She shook her head in disapproval as she spoke.

“The espresso is for Allison Miller,” he said. “Does she have a mug?”

Lucy’s expression softened an infinitesimal degree. “She has a little espresso cup too. And the tea? Paper?”

“For the Davenport kid.”

“Davenport-Gardner?” She pulled a red fire-truck mug off the hook and ran Nick’s credit card. She seemed a little disappointed he wasn’t getting more paper cups.

“The muffin . . . ,” he said.

“What about it?” she challenged.

“Delicious. Maybe the best I’ve ever tasted,” he said, hoping to maybe, possibly, draw a smile out of her, to maybe, just maybe, begin to make a little headway in this tightly closed community.

She shook her head, eyes half rolled, handing him back his credit card. “Kiss ass.”

JILLIAN’S FATHER GOT OFF HIS BIKE IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE JUST AS Jillian got out of the Coxes’ car in the driveway. It was like a dance, it was so synchronized. Her door opening at the same moment he dismounted. His vest and yellow helmet shone under the streetlight. She could feel his stunned eyes on her.