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tell her?”
    There was a pause as she waited in agony for Alex to compose herself sufficiently to respond.
    “Rosewater,” Alex said at last. “What the hell else did you think I was going to say?”
    Any retort Sarah might have made was forestalled by a screech of static and a crackling public address announcement.
    “Oh, that’s my cue.” Alex gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and scrambled to her feet. “Wish us luck.”
    “Break a leg,” Sarah called as Alex dashed through the maze of townsfolk and pets and shrieking children.
    The Police Department versus Avery All-comers Tug o’ War was—according to everyone Sarah had spoken to in the past week—the undisputed highlight of the potluck picnic. Feeling too comfortable to move from her blanket, she stayed where she was, deciding that she had a decent enough view. The rope had just been raised, and the teams were poised to take the strain when Lyssa Mardell waved and trotted across the sand toward her.
    “Hey.” Lyssa had three bottles of beer in her hands. She offered one to Sarah and set the second bottle in the cooler. “Save this for Alex when she’s finished. She’ll probably need it as a consolation prize,” she said, sitting on the edge of the blanket.
    Sarah shuffled over to make a bigger gap for her. “Thanks. You off duty today?”
    “Hell, yes. I’m back in on Friday night.” Lyssa snagged a piece of chicken from Sarah’s plate and looked at her expectantly. “So, you heard yet? You must have heard by now.”
    Never sure what Lyssa’s shift pattern was, Sarah hadn’t wanted to risk disturbing her after a night shift by calling her. As a result, she had been sitting on her good news for three days. She smiled, feeling shy all over again. “I got ninety-six percent,” she said.
    For a second, Lyssa just stared. Then she gave a whoop of delight and threw her arms around Sarah. “That’s brilliant! You’re brilliant!” She kissed her sloppily on the cheek. “Hey, I’m brilliant!”
    “You are brilliant,” Sarah said. “Couldn’t have done it without you.” Her arm was still around Lyssa and she hugged her close. “I owe you, massively.”
    Since meeting Sarah on an emergency call four months ago, Lyssa had been helping to coach her through her EMT course, and the extra tuition, in addition to Sarah’s college course in Ruby, had paid dividends.
    “Onward and upward.” Lyssa clinked her beer against Sarah’s.
    “Definitely.”
    They sat side by side, cheering on the teams laboring in the contest. For the first time in five years, the police seemed to have the upper hand, and the handkerchief tied around the center of the rope was inching inexorably in their direction. A minute later, the Avery team capitulated en masse and, without warning, stumbled and fell gracelessly into the shallow water. Sarah clambered to her feet, pulling Lyssa up beside her, and waved at Alex.
    As the noise and fuss subsided, Lyssa sat back down, but Sarah turned, suddenly uncomfortable for some reason. A few feet behind her, Margot St. Clare was sitting on a deck chair. She had evidently been watching Sarah and Lyssa for a while, and her face twisted into a scowl of distaste when Sarah caught her eye. It was Sarah who looked away first, back toward the lake, where she saw Alex diving into the water with the rest of her team. Trying to push her unease aside, Sarah retook her place on the blanket, but she could still sense Margot’s gaze fixed on her. She cradled the beer that Lyssa gave her but shook her head at the plate of food; she had completely lost her appetite.

    *

    “Here, drink this and tell me what’s bugging you.”
    Sarah obediently cradled the mug and sipped from it slowly. The tea was exactly how she liked it: strong, piping hot, milk no sugar. As she drank, Alex reached across and rested a hand on her forehead.
    “Not post-picnic heatstroke, then,” she murmured.
    Sarah looked up at her. “I’m okay.”
    “Mmhm.” Alex