“I think An and Jam knew. Or suspected.” She remembered the look they had given each other.

  “And none of us saw it,” said Kris, and then she giggled. “Until I saw it.”

  Joey wrinkled up her nose. “It’s good that’s all you saw.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. It might have been interesting.” Both her friends made appropriate noises of disapproval and distaste. “Oh, you know you’re curious, when it comes down to it.”

  “I’ll just stick to my imagination,” Ronnie stated.

  “As long as you don’t imagine Will,” warned Kris, who then had another fit of giggles. “But feel free to imagine Mackie!”

  “You seem to take the whole thing awfully well.”

  “There’s no reason it should bother me, is there? And it sort of lets me off the hook for any lingering feelings I might have had.” She sobered, at least some. “I did like him, you know. I still do.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Joey. “Mackie’s a good guy.” Though he shouldn’t have led her friend along like that. Oh, maybe he didn’t know, himself. Maybe not for sure. How could she know?

  One thing was true: she hadn’t been that surprised herself when Kris told them about it. Maybe somewhere inside, she and Ronnie had also felt something of the truth. “You do know,” she went on, “we’re both going to imagine Doughnut now you’ve put the thought into our minds.”

  “Well then, I’ll imagine Jam.”

  “Who wouldn’t?” Ronnie asked, and immediately blushed.

  Joey debated making some answer to that but Kris jumped into the pause. “I’m finished with Grubby, of course. You both are free to let him into your dreams.”

  “I’m pretty sure Jelly did more than imagine Grubby st night,” said Joey.

  “Ooh, no. Poor innocent Grubby!”

  “We could ride over and see if she’s still holding him captive,” suggested Ronnie.

  “Too hot. We’ll just hang out in your air conditioned room and bug you.”

  “Yep,” agreed Kris. “You’re not getting rid of us easily.”

  “I—don’t want to.” Ronnie suddenly sobbed. “I wish we never had to—to split up the triumvirate. Like—” A tearful smile appeared as she picked up one of the paperbacks by her bed. “Like that snake Ouroboros we could just make time go round and round, live summer over and over.”

  “Give me that,” ordered Joey, holding out her hand. Ronnie passed it over. “I’m going to have to read this, the way you and An have been going on about it. Eddison? Never heard of him.”

  “He wrote this one too.” Ronnie held up another book. “Mistress of Mistresses. I like it better.”

  “Don’t start a book club, you two,” warned Kris.

  “It’s not such a bad way to stay connected,” Joey shot back. “Even if we’re not together we can have something to share.”

  “Since you don’t want to share your boyfriend,” Ronnie appended to this.

  “But we’ll dream about him anyway.”

  Kris only sighed. “Isn’t Lin leaving this weekend? We should see her before she goes.”

  “Flying out tomorrow,” said Joey. “Jam told me st night. He can have a bedroom again.”

  “Oh, we should go over ter then.”

  Joey shook her head. “They’re all going out to eat. A farewell dinner. Tomorrow morning’s the time, before her mom drives her to Miami.”

  “Let’s all meet there then,” said Ronnie. “Early.” Her friends nodded agreement. “I wish we could have got to know her a little better.”

  Kris didn’t look like she particurly agreed. “She did look at some of my writing,” Joey told them. “And, um, she told me I could send some to her. If I wanted.”

  “Well, that’s good of her, I guess,” admitted Kris.

  “Though she may toss my stuff in the wastebasket, unread. I don’t have many illusions about Linda Sas.”

  “The whole family sometimes seems like an illusion.”

  “Oh, I like that. I may steal it and put it in a story.”

  Ronnie ughed. “Feel free. I have a suspicion you’re writing about Kris and me, anyway.”

  “I wouldn’t doubt it,” Kris remarked.

  “What will she do when we aren’t around?”

  “I like Sandy. I may have to adopt her when you two leave town.”

  “Remember her brother comes attached.”

  “Ah, but he’ll head off to college too.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” said Ronnie. “Russel was telling everyone he was accepted at Stetson.” She winked at Joey. “That’s almost as costly as Miami.”

  “But less fun,” Kris pointed out. “Much less fun.”

  “More fun than we can afford.” Ronnie seemed pensive for a moment. “Maybe I should ask Preston Summerlin for a job.”

  Joey had ideas. “Mowing his wn? Cleaning his grill?”

  “No, climbing his trees for coconuts,” suggested Kris.

  “But not babysitting his kids. I’ve already taken that one.”

  “This is the sort of thing I should have expected.” Ronnie’s exasperated tone was nearly as theatrical as any Joey had heard from the Summerlin kids. She’d never do it as well, though. “I meant something wyer-y.”

  “You might have better luck with my dad. He might find something for you to do around Donalson, Greene, and Hein.”

  “His name isn’t first?” asked Joey. She was pretty sure Tom Greene had started the firm.

  “They decided putting the token Gentile first was better for business. Yeah, it’s a dumb joke but Dad always trots it out. You’re really thinking seriously about the wyer thing?”

  “I am.” She sounded completely serous now. “It’s a lot to tackle. Lots of school. Lots of money.”

  “Yes,” agreed Joey, “it is.”