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"Rather not."
He lowered his voice. "Please?"
"Later," I said. "Just not tonight. Okay?"
He nodded and retreated.
"Sorry about that," I said when he was gone. "Inconveniently timed relationship angst."
"Relationship?" Chloe looked from me to the now-empty doorway. "You and Rafe? Oh, I thought . . ." She trailed off and shook her head. "Never mind. So you were saying--"
"I thought you were with Daniel," Derek cut in.
Chloe gave him a look as I inwardly flinched.
"We're just really good friends," I said. "We all grew up together. Well, the Salmon Creek subjects, anyway."
"That must have been nice," Chloe said, a touch of wistfulness in her voice. "Not the experiment part, of course, but . . ."
"We didn't know about the experiment. It was just a really good life. They made it that way--we know that now. But even without all the extras, it was a great way to grow up." I turned back to the window as my eyes prickled with tears. "It could drive you nuts, being with the same kids all the time, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Except . . ." I shrugged, still looking out. "They made a mistake not telling us. If we'd grown up with it, things might have been different."
"Us, too," Chloe murmured. "I'm not sure it would have fixed all our problems, but I wish I'd known. So all you guys grew up together, then. Well, except Rafe and Ash."
I nodded. "Speaking of my brother, I should probably check on him. Have either of you seen him?"
They shook their heads. I said I should go find him and I'd see them in the morning.
FORTY-ONE
AS I PASSED THE kitchen, I heard someone. I poked my head in. Corey was opening a can of pop with one hand and balancing a slice of cold pizza on the other.
"Hey," he said. "Just in time to keep me from eating alone."
"No, I'm not hungry," I said, and started to withdraw.
He came over before I could disappear. "Did you find Daniel? He was looking for you."
I muttered that I hadn't seen him and, again, tried to leave. This time Corey swung into my path.
"Okay, what'd I do?" he asked.
"Nothing. I'm just tired."
"Uh-uh. I suspected I was getting the cold shoulder earlier, but with everything going on, I wasn't sure. Now I'm sure. You're giving me the look."
"What look?"
"The Maya's-pissed-with-Corey look. Fifty percent disappointment, thirty percent disapproval, twenty percent exasperation. I've done something you're not happy about."
I hesitated, then blurted, "Rafe told me what you said about Daniel."
He frowned. "You're going to need to be a little more specific."
"In Salmon Creek, when Rafe and I started getting together. You told him to back off because Daniel . . ." I glanced at the open door and lowered my voice. "Because Daniel likes me."
He swore, then dropped his pizza on the counter and started for the door. "I'm going to kill him."
I caught the back of his shirt, reached past him, and closed the door.
