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money. That’s not entirely true, McGrady , a voice in her head argued, but she ignored it.
    â€œJennie? Are you still there?”
    Jennie took a deep breath, hoping to hold back the menacing tears that threatened to break through her resolve. “I’m here. Just disappointed. I was looking forward to…never mind. I hope everything goes really well for you.” Then something terrible happened. Jennie’s thoughts merged with her tongue. Before she could stop them, the angry words had escaped. “In fact, you can stay there all summer if you want. Just don’t expect me to be here when you come back.”
    Neither of them spoke for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Ryan broke the silence. “That was a low blow, McGrady. I thought…Listen, I have to go. Some of the other guys are waiting to use the phone. I’ll try to call you sometime next week.” Because cell reception was so spotty in the port where they were docked, Ryan couldn’t use his cell phone and had to rely on a public one.
    â€œDon’t bother.” After Jennie hung up, she wanted to crawl into the woodwork and disappear. Misery was too pale a word for what she felt. On top of that her guests had overheard every word. She did not look forward to having to explain.
    Thankfully, when she turned around, Lisa, Allison, and B.J. were huddled together around the kitchen table talking about the stalker. Bless you, Lisa. Jennie stood behind Allison and B.J. and mouthed a grateful “thank you” to her cousin.
    â€œYou can relax, Allison,” Jennie announced. “Our mysterious caller was Ryan. He had a bad connection.” Unfortunately, the second one wasn’t that great either.
    â€œI’m just glad he didn’t get in,” Mom said as she entered the kitchen through the back door.
    â€œLooks like you girls surprised the prowler before he had a chance to break in,” Officer Mendoza offered when Jennie asked what they’d found. A few minutes later, Mendoza and Donovan thanked everyone for their help and left. The girls washed out their mugs and headed back upstairs.
    An hour later, Jennie was still awake, only it wasn’t the burglary that haunted her. You messed up good this time, McGrady. Ryan may never speak to you again. “What am I going to do, God?” she whispered. “I love Ryan so much. What if he won’t forgive me?” Alongside that thought came another. What if he will? The more she considered the possibility, the more it made sense. Ryan had been a friend for a lot longer than he’d been a boyfriend. She’d write to him and explain how hurt she’d felt, how disappointed and angry—not at him, but at the circumstances keeping them apart. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep until she’d accomplished her task, Jennie decided to write the letter right away.
    She eased open her nightstand drawer and pulled out some stationery and a pen. Twenty minutes and five sheets of paper later she signed her final draft, stuffed it into an envelope, and leaned it against her lamp. She returned the paper and pen to the drawer and snapped off the light. Ordinarily she’d have shot him an email, but he hadn’t taken a laptop with him and had no way to retrieve it.
    Still unable to sleep, Jennie eased out of bed and slipped a cream-colored cotton throw over her shoulders. She made her way across the clothes-littered floor, around the bodies sleeping there, and raised the blinds of the window facing the Murrays’ house. The driveway was empty, but it didn’t take much imagination to envision the car and the driver sitting there watching. That’s just super, McGrady. Now you’re getting paranoid too.
    She lowered the blinds and tiptoed back to her bed. She’d just pulled up the covers when the phone rang. She grabbed for it before it could ring again, hoping it would be Ryan so she could apologize right then