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to find a way of tempting him away.
    "I just hate the idea of going up to that big old empty apartment all by myself," she told him as they were driving home. "I know it must sound silly, but I'm just an awful scaredycat. Would you mind terribly waiting around with me until the Devlins get back? Maybe we could listen to the stereo or something." She put the emphasis on the "or something."
    Pete smiled. "Don't worry, Jessica. I have a feeling you won't have any trouble taking care of yourself. Sorry, but I have to run."
    Jessica's hands clenched into fists in her lap, her long fingernails digging into her palms. She could feel her cheeks burning. She felt like screaming. What was the matter with him? How could he ignore her this way?
    Pete's Ferrari glided to a smooth stop in front of the Devlins' Park Avenue building. He bent toward her, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. This is it! she thought excitedly. He's finally going to kiss me! She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips and let her eyelids droop seductively. She was glad now that she'd sat through the concert. Pete's kiss would certainly be worth it. This was going to be a perfect moment.
    But instead of taking hold of her, Pete merely leaned across her and flipped open the door. "Sleep tight, little Jessica," he said as she was getting out.
    Jessica was left to stand fuming on the sidewalk as he spun off into the night, red taillights winking as if mocking her. Tears of anger and frustration stung her eyes.
    She'd never been so humiliated in her whole life.
     

Six
     
    "Has anyone seen my gold necklace?" Elizabeth asked, drifting into the kitchen. She sat down at the breakfast table. "I left it on my dresser last night, and now it's gone."
    Mrs. Wakefield looked up from buttering a slice of bread she'd just plucked from the toaster. "Maybe it slipped off. Did you check the floor?"
    "I even looked behind the dresser. And under the bed." She frowned. " It's as if it disappeared into thin air!"
    Her mother put a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her, but Elizabeth wasn't hungry. She felt terrible about losing her necklace. The twins' parents had given them identical gold lavalieres
    on their sixteenth birthday. Elizabeth knew how disappointed they would be if she couldn't find it. Usually it was Jessica who was always losing things.
    "After breakfast I'll help you look," Suzanne volunteered readily. Her lovely face wore a concerned look. "Sometimes a thing can be right there under your nose and you don't see it."
    Elizabeth sighed. "But I really looked. I don't know how it could've gotten on the floor. I remember taking it off and putting it in the middle of the dresser."
    Suzanne reached across the table to give Elizabeth's hand a sympathetic squeeze. "Don't worry, Liz, I'm sure it'll turn up, even if we have to spend all morning looking for it."
    Elizabeth flashed her a grateful smile. "It seems so unfair. Here you are on vacation, and you've hardly relaxed a minute since you got here."
    Sunday morning Suzanne had gotten up early and surprised them all with an elegant breakfast of french toast made with grated lemon peel and sprinkled with powdered sugar. On Monday she'd spent the afternoon helping Steven put a coat of varnish on an old canoe he was restoring out in the garage. The list was endless. Whenever there were dishes to be done, Suzanne was the first to volunteer. She was never too tired to run an errand, or too elegant
    to don a pair of rubber gloves and help with the cleaning around the house. More than once Mrs. Wakefield had teased Suzanne about wanting to adopt her.
    Everyone loved Suzanne. Even Lila, who usually considered every pretty girl competition, had called one afternoon to ask Elizabeth and Suzanne over to play tennis at the Fowlers' private court. It was the first time Elizabeth could remember Lila inviting her anywhere. Afterward she couldn't believe how Lila had acted--hanging on Suzanne's every word, asking her a million