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want to risk her changing her plans, so I said nothing; instead, I motioned to the waitress for our check.
    “What do you want to do now?” Sarah looked, and sounded, relaxed, as though all of the week’s earlier events had never occurred. I marveled at her way of compartmentalizing problems in her head.
    “I thought we could go see that movie you’ve been dying to see. It’s playing at the Cinemark on Timberline.”
    “Which one?”
    “ Moonrise Kingdom .”
    She squealed and clapped her hands. “I’ve been dying to see that. It’s been out for a while.” She smiled. “I thought you’d forgotten that I wanted to see it.”
    I grinned back at her and led her out of the restaurant and to the car.

Chapter Five
    The next day, I stood awkwardly on the corner outside one of the stores on Pearl Street and watched Maddie wait for the crosswalk sign. She stood there smiling, looking radiant, until finally, the light changed and she approached.
    “How was your drive?”
    “Oh, my gosh, Lizzie, I got so lost on my way here.” She was breathing heavily. “Is there always so much construction in Colorado? Every major road has some detour. It’s crazy. And the people here do not understand the concept of merging. This one guy actually stopped while trying to get on the highway. Who stops when getting on the highway?” She flipped her hair back. “If he tried that in California, someone would have hit him out of spite, or shot him.” She hugged me and kissed my cheek. Her perfume made me giddy.
    “Yes, there is always construction here, especially when the weather is nice. And I have to agree that people are idiots behind the wheel. I try to stick to the back roads out here. Not so many blockheads. Plus, you get to look at horses and cows.”
    Really? Really! Was I this much of a moron all of the time? Horses and cows! She was a California girl, why would she want to look at horses and cows?
    “I better get used to it … I got the job.” She jumped in excitement and let out the cutest little squeal.
    I hugged her, overcome with excitement, fear, and anger. She would now become a permanent fixture in my life. For the first time in my life, I was jealous of Peter. Everyone had always assumed I was. He had everything: good looks, charm, wit, intelligence, and confidence. But I had never wanted to be like him. At that moment, I wanted to be him.
    We pulled apart and I looked into her eyes. “That’s great, Maddie. Peter must be so happy for you.”
    “I think he is. He bought me a new car last night. The BMW I wanted.” Another squeal.
    I laughed and said, “That’s so my mom.”
    I immediately regretted it. She didn’t deserve such a callous remark.
    But she just laughed at me. “I knew you would say something like that. It’s almost like you can’t help it. You just say what you think, especially when it comes to your family. Your mouth opens and the words spill out even if they are words others really don’t want to hear. I love it. I love your verbal brutality.”
    “Verbal brutality? That seems a bit harsh. But I like it. It’s very to the point. In fact, it’s something I would’ve said.”
    She did a little curtsy for me and we laughed and started walking along Pearl Street.
    * * *
    We sat outside a little fondue place. The weather was gorgeous, and when the sun shone at that time of year, Coloradoans flocked to alfresco venues. We sat at one of the tiny tables squeezed onto an even smaller patio. Maddie’s bags, squashed under the table, made it hard to get comfortable, but I didn’t mind.
    She held her wineglass against her cheek, propping her head up with her other arm, her elbow resting on the table. “Tell me something you haven’t told anyone else.”
    I thought for a moment but didn’t question why she was asking. I wanted to find the right answer. “I really enjoy riding my bike‌—‌”
    “And I really enjoy chocolate chip cookies,” she interrupted.
    I smiled. “Now hold on