Page 59 (2/2)

"It was never about the est fan, okay? Maybe this is the best way for hi to say it The man can hire whomever he wants"

Rafe made an irritated sound in the back of his throat Then he closed his notebook and shoved it into his book bag "It sucks, though" He stood "I won’t see you to to have to give myself a ht is unavoidable forup to eat fussy food in a rooed "It’s no trouble How dressy are we talking about?"

"Coat and tie"

"That’s easy," he said, pausing beside the bed He put one warm hand on my head for a second, and it was all I could do to keep froain "Take care of yourself"

"You too," I said, as if it was so friends just said to one another As if I weren’t the one as quite obviously self-destructing

Nineteen

Rafe

Bella and I rode into the city on the Metro North train in a coet taller, I asked, "What’s the goal for tonight?"

She looked up frooal?"

If tonight weren’t complicated for some reason, then Bella wouldn’t have needed a date "Who needs to be iive me the lay of the land"

She stashed her phone "Well, I invited you as a buffer My family will be nicer to me if you’re there"

"Why wouldn’t they be nice?" I asked

She looked out the"We had a blow-up a couple of years ago There isn’t a lot of trust between us But my parents are civil people to the core They’ll be nice They’re very good at it My sister is , it’s her snake of a husband"

"Okay," I said I could ith that

When the train pulled into the 125th Street station, I found it odd not to get off My whole life I’d lived in the northernmost part of the city, where Bella and her friends never bothered to tread

The doors shut again after athe tunnel at 97th Street When the train stopped at Grand Central, we got out to head for the 42nd Street exit "Can’t beat this coht across the street