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TRYING TO MAKE SASHA LISTEN to reason was an exercise in futility Ian couldn’t recall ever being more frustrated

But Sasha, how could you

But Sasha, you knew

But Sasha, it’s wrong to

Nothing fazed her She’d shut down good and proper She’d si and say, “It is what it is,” over and over until Ian considered buying a few congress phrase Ha As if that would stop Sasha

Ithow Sasha refused to take responsibility for her actions He realized Jada hadn’t said anything in a long time and surveyed the study Where was she? She wasn’t in the rooone?

He cut off Trey o, but don’t think this is over It’s only a break”

Shrug

Ian exited before he said soret

After a short search, he found Jada outside, sitting on the wide porch steps Her elboere propped on her knees and her chin rested on her clasped hands She looked toward the lake with a desolate expression on her beautiful face

Ian sat down beside her “Are you okay?”

She turned her head far enough to acknowledge hiaze to the lake

He pulled in a lungful of fresh air, letting it clear hissunbearounds and water The teo was it? Couldn’t have been long, though it felt like hours It was different now

He regarded Jada out of the corner of his eye He hoped not everything was

different His feelings for her remained the same

“We won’t allow her to walk away from this scot-free,” he said

“It doesn’t matter,” she said “I don’t think she cares either way”

“Is that the worst of it for you? That she’s so egotistical?

Jada took a deep breath, sat up straighter and raised her head, letting her hands dangle between her knees “I can’t quit thinking about what ht have happened if Sasha and Freya had realized they didn’t have to drive a thousand et married Within a couple hundred e is legal, and Springers Glen isn’t in the path of either one I here if those tomen had half a clue”

“You can’t go around re-i events based on what Sasha doesn’t know You’d be at it forever,” Ian said

“She’s not as dumb as she lets on”

“No, but she’s not as with it as she’d like you to think, either”

“I don’t want to say I told you so, but you were the one who convinced ht she was too flighty to plan so so complicated”

“True,” Ian said, “and she asn’t she? Have you ever heard of ait off”

“Good point I can’t argue with it” Jada sighed “Why didn’t she come out of the closet the nor name journalist, tell her story, the usual”

“Because of Agatha,” Ian answered “And Trey You know Agatha thinks it will dae Sasha’s career Sasha complains a lot but she never stands up to herout because he’s afraid it could put her in danger He’s worried that so public I think it’s unlikely, but the truth is, we have to face that there are still people who hate gays and lesbians enough to hurt them, even if there aren’t as many of them as there once were”

“I didn’t think about that,” Jada said “I can see why he’d worry I don’t like adht when she said that I don’t knohat it’s like to live on society’s fringe”