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“He’s Miyagi because he’s already wise beyond his years.”
    “You guys are so stupid,” Julia grumbles.
    “Oh, come on, you know we’re irresistible,” Leo taunts.
    “Does it bother you that everyone calls you Miyagi?” I inquire.
    “No, I like it.”
    “What’s your real name?” I ask, trying not to look at Leo, who I can still feel staring up at me.
    “Richard Lucille Marenwhite, the third.”
    “Yeah, okay.” I laugh. “I’d probably stick with Miyagi too.”
    Everyone laughs.
    “He’s a genius too,” Leo adds, as I see him glance back at Julia.
    “Is that right?”
    “I’m serious,” Leo insists. “He has the highest IQ of anyone I’ve ever met.”
    “You haven’t met a lot of people, so that’s not really saying much,” Miyagi says, shoving Leo in the shoulder. “Besides, a photographic memory doesn’t make you smart.”
    “Just lucky,” Julia huffs.
    “So you’re both boarders?” I ask, attempting small talk.
    “That’s right,” Leo jumps in. “And we’re the lowly locals.”
    “Poor baby . . . well, we all can’t be born rich, can we?” Julia makes a face at Leo. In an instant he’s standing; he leaps over the back of the couch and barrels into Julia, sending her backwards onto the black comforter, the pillows flying every which way. Julia is squealing, Miyagi is laughing, and I don’t know how to react. After a bit of wrestling, they both collapse onto the bed, panting. Leo is staring up at the ceiling, laughing slightly.
    With the back of her hand, Julia slaps Leo in the chest, then sits up. “Two phone calls all summer.” She hits him again, a little harder.
    “Oh, come on, don’t be mad,” Leo pleads. Their relationship had seemed so clear, but is now a mystery to me.
    “You’re not the one who was cooped up in Bancroft Manor all summer with no hope of rescue,” she grumbles.
    “I called you,” Miyagi reminds her in an almost whisper. Leo grins as he sees his friend’s face flush red.
    Julia hops to her feet. “Please tell me you called Olivia more than twice all summer.”
    As soon as she mentions the name, Leo’s eyes dart to me, and his smile disappears. He shifts uncomfortably and runs a hand through his hair from front to back. “Olivia got all the attention she needed, okay?” His tone is cold, and he seems annoyed.
    “Uh-oh” Julia taunts. “Trouble in paradise?”
    And the picture becomes a little clearer. Julia and Leo are friends. Just friends. Leo and this Olivia girl, though, not the same story. Napoleon Blake has a girlfriend.

I WAKE UP LATE. AFTER a week of rising early, I assume Aunt Jane and Uncle Gil decided to let me sleep in. Saturdays and Sundays are brunch days at the inn, so I know I’m safe, and there will still be hot and fresh food waiting for me. When I first came to Churchill Inn, I thought it would be uncomfortable to share your home with strangers. With seven bedrooms total, it isn’t an uncommon thing for the entire place to be filled. Much to my surprise, the hustling and bustling of strangers around me actually created a calm for me. There was anonymity that allowed the perfect hiding place for a wounded soul.
    I’d also met people I’d never imagined crossing paths with. There was a folk musician who was touring, a politician who reserved the entire in for his reelection planning committee, and a free-spirited, young couple who had just engaged in a commitment ceremony. They came from everywhere, and each had their own story. Some were eager to share, others more secretive, but what made it one of the greatest places in the world, was no one asked my story.
    I take my time in the shower. The water envelops me, wrapping me in its embrace. I’m not sure how much time passes when the growls of my stomach bring me back to reality. Pajama days are encouraged on weekends at the inn, and with the mountain of studying ahead of me, I can’t think of a better time to exercise this policy. I step out, towel dry, and