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to notice was Rawley Pelham, the older man who owned the local cab company. Some mysterious part of the Pelham family tree forbade them from breaking promises. Once a Pelham gave you his word, he had to keep it. If Rawley promised he'd pick you up at ten o'clock, he was always there at ten o'clock. Annabelle Drake hired him to take her to these meetings, and he always waited outside and stared at the house as if the gathering of women inside was a mystery he was trying to solve. He smiled at Josey as he leaned against his cab, his collar up against the cold wind. She knew he wouldn't say anything. For some reason, he went out of his way to avoid speaking to her mother.
    Sneaking out was another risk, yes. But someone had to take care of Della Lee. As far as Josey knew, she hadn't eaten anything since she'd shown up three days ago, stubbornly holding out for a grilled tomato and cheese sandwich.
    Josey checked her watch again, then she suddenly felt a pull in the center of her body. She put a hand to her stomach automatically, thinking it was hunger. The smell of peppery warm cheese and thick, yeasty grilled bread was beginning to fill the air. She would give the sandwich to Della Lee when she got home, and while Della Lee ate the sandwich Josey would eat oatmeal pies and candy corn and packets of salty pumpkin seeds from her closet. She daydreamed about that for a moment.
    She heard the metal detector go off and turned.
    That's when she realized it wasn't hunger she felt.
    It was Adam.
    He was emptying his pockets before walking through the metal detector again. He was still in his work uniform, but he wasn't carrying his bag. He had on a well-worn blue fleece hoodie, and a bandana was pushing his hair back.
    Her lips parted when he began to walk across the rotunda toward her.
    But he didn't even look at her as he went straight to the counter.
    "Chloe?"
    The woman turned from the grill, saw who it was, then turned back around without a word.
    "Come on, Clo. Talk to me. I just got home from work and found him on my front step."
    "I don't care," Chloe said.
    Adam stared at Chloe's back, at her beautiful hair. "He never meant to hurt you."
    That made Chloe turn again, spatula in hand. "You knew about it?"
    Adam hesitated. Whatever it was, he knew.
    Chloe turned back around. "Just go."
    "Do you want me to tell him anything?"
    "I'm not talking to him, and I'm not talking to him through you." She looked over her shoulder. "Unless, of course, you want to tell me who it was."
    "I don't know who it was," Adam said. "Listen, he asked me to go over to your place and get some of his things because he knows you don't want him there right now. But I'll wait until you're there to do that, okay? I'll call you tonight before I come by. Jake will be staying with me for a while. You know the number." He waited for her to say something, but when she didn't he finally turned and walked away. He glanced at Josey as he passed her. He'd taken a few steps before he stopped. "Josey," he said, as if the glimmer of recognition finally penetrated. "What a surprise."
    "Hi, Adam," she said breathlessly.
    "What are you doing here?"
    "I'm waiting on a sandwich." She quickly added, "It's not for me." It's not for me? Brilliant.
    "Oh, right. Of course." He studied her for a moment. Her hand went covertly to her mouth to feel for crumbs. "Are you okay?"
    "You ask me that a lot."
    "Do I? I'm sorry. You just seem a little sad."
    She shook her head. "I'm fine," she lied.
    He looked over to Chloe, then turned back to Josey. "Well, I'll see you later."
    She watched him go. "Bye."
    "Here's your sandwich," Chloe said, putting a white paper bag on the counter.
    Josey stood and approached the counter as Chloe punched some buttons on the cash register. "So, you know Adam?" Josey asked as casually as possible.
    "He's my boyfriend . . . my ex-boyfriend's ..." Chloe shook her head and looked frustrated that she couldn't articulate just what Adam was to her, which made