Page 214 of What We Burn

Jamie stops by the counter on his way out. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re doing better. The last few weeks, you’ve seemed more . . . you. Whatever that means.”

“It means I’m sleeping and eating and only having one existential crisis per day instead of six.”

“Progress.”

I lean across the counter and hug him impulsively. His arms close around me for a beat before he gently pushes me back.

“Get back to work, bitch.”

“Bossy.”

“You love it.” He grins. “I’ll see you Saturday. Let’s pray Amy finds those face masks that won’t dissolve our skin.”

I press my palms together and look skyward. “Please no dissolving.”

The rest of my shift is textbook. I refill, I smile, I leave work with the same number of bodily fluids inside my skin as I started, which is all you can really ask. Amy texts me about face masks.

Amy:

I’m not kidding, the koi collagen ones look like ghost horror but it says our skin will GLOW

And once about pajamas.

Amy:

Remember: no holes, no stains, nothing from the boys’ side of the closet. I want maximum girl energy

Me:

I think technically we could treat Milo as one of the girls.

Amy:

Milo is a simulation of a human built by aliens who only ever watched terrible Disney sitcoms.

Which, honestly, is not far off.

Knox is in his truck across the street when I walk out of the diner. I can see the outline of him through the tinted glass. I give a small wave. I know he saw it even if he doesn’t wave back. Knox sees everything.

I cross the street and climb into the passenger side. The truck smells like black coffee and leather and that particular Knox scent that I’ve never been able to identify—something clean and warm underneath the severity, like cedar that doesn’t want you to know it’s cedar.

“Hey, Knoxie,” I say.

“Fury.” He starts the engine and pulls into the street, traveling the opposite way to Holden’s place.

“Are we not going home?”

“No.”

“Are we going to the club?”

“No.”

“A stakeout? Please say stakeout. I’ve always wanted to do a stakeout.”

“No.”

“Knox. Where are we going?”