“No, I won’t,” Laurel said sullenly.

“Yes, you will,” David repeated, his nose touching hers. His arms tightened around her waist and Laurel couldn’t help but smile.

“Thanks,” she said.

She closed her eyes, waiting for his kiss, but a rap on the doorway made her head jerk up.

“Can you at least not make out on your bed while I’m home?” Laurel’s mom said dryly. “You know, pretend you’re following the rules.”

David had already shot to his feet and stepped about three feet from the bed.

Laurel dragged herself up slowly. “I did leave the door open,” she said.

“Oh, good,” her mom responded. “Can’t wait to see what’s going on next time I walk by. I’m heading to the store,” she continued before Laurel could respond. “I want both of you to come downstairs, please.”

Laurel watched her mom walk away, wearing a nice skirt and blouse, with a very businessy-looking bag on her shoulder. Just one of the many changes that had greeted Laurel on her return from Avalon.

The first one had been awesome. David had driven Laurel back from the land yesterday and pulled into her driveway beside a black Nissan Sentra, complete with a red bow. “I figure, since you’re responsible for our current financial situation, you should reap some benefit from it,” her dad had said with a laugh as Laurel squealed and hugged him. The diamond Jamison had given Laurel last year to prevent her parents from selling their land had covered more than just her dad’s medical bills. But Laurel had not anticipated such a personal perk.

The second big change was one she knew about. Her parents had decided to renovate their very small house by adding on a rec room—with lots of big windows for Laurel—and enlarging the kitchen. Laurel’s being away for the summer had struck them as the perfect opportunity. The work was supposed to be done by the time she got back, but the first thing Laurel did after walking in the door yesterday was trip over a bunch of tools. The contractors promised to be out by the end of the week, but Laurel had her doubts.

The most drastic change, though, came as an even bigger surprise than her car. In the spring, Laurel’s dad had acquired some shop space next to his bookstore, intending to expand his store. But shortly after Laurel left for Avalon her parents decided to open a new store, instead—a naturopathy store for her mom. Nature’s Cure—which had opened just before Laurel got home—sold homemade remedies and a wide array of vitamins, herbs, and natural foods, as well as a nice selection of health and wellness books provided by the lovely bookstore next door. With all the time they both spent at their stores, her parents actually saw each other more now than ever before in their marriage.

Which is great! Laurel told herself. After all, her mom should have something like this that was all her own. But in Laurel’s absence her mom had grown…distant. Her dad couldn’t seem to hear enough about Avalon, but during those discussions her mom would suddenly remember something she needed to do in another room. Laurel felt like the new store presented an additional avenue of escape; in the twenty-four hours Laurel had been home, she’d only seen her mom for a short dinner and once or twice as she rushed in and out on errands.

She sighed and stood from the bed. “Come on, let’s go downstairs.”

“Yeah, but…” David gestured at the glass-making supplies on Laurel’s desk.

“I’m done for today,” Laurel said. “Let’s go do something fun. We’ve only got a few days before school starts again.” Laurel pulled him toward the door. “My mom made cinnamon rolls this morning,” she added, trying to give him incentive.

He let Laurel drag him away this time, but not before giving the desk a long look.

In the kitchen David pulled a cinnamon roll from the pan and slathered it with cream cheese frosting. As he bit into it, he turned toward the large kitchen window—a new addition Laurel was quite fond of.

“I haven’t seen Chelsea yet. Should we call her and see if she wants to watch a movie or something tonight?” Laurel secured the plastic wrap back over the bowl of frosting. The smell always made her a touch nauseated.

“Sure, if she’s not hanging out with Ryan.”

“Ryan?” Laurel asked, stowing the frosting in the fridge. “Tall Ryan?”

“Yep.”

“Are they, like, together?”

“Chelsea’s been a bit closedmouthed about it—if you can imagine—but if they’re not together now, they will be soon. Maybe you can worm something out of her.”

“Maybe. That’s weird.” Not that Chelsea would have a boyfriend—Laurel was way excited about that—but that she would choose Ryan. Tall, gangly Ryan, who didn’t talk a lot and was particularly unobservant. Laurel was all for the idea that opposites attract, but maybe there was such a thing as too opposite.

And then, of course, there was the issue that Chelsea had been enamored with David for the last several years. But if she was over him now then, hey, all the better.

They were silent for several minutes, David finishing off his cinnamon roll and Laurel staring out the picture window, thinking about Chelsea. Finally David swallowed his last bite and took a deep breath. “I thought I saw Barnes yesterday, just before coming to pick you up.”

An icy shudder of fear clutched at Laurel’s chest. “You thought?”

“Yeah, wasn’t him. It was just that guy who runs the bowling alley.”