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“This behavior is not like you. Showing up late, forgetting to text us, leaving work without permission…” Dad pressed his hands together. “Help us understand what’s going on here, Eliza.”

“What’s going on.” Where can I even begin?

I had no more of an explanation than I would for why someone thought it was smart to put peanut butter and jelly in the same jar. “I was at the theater.” It sounded believable. Kinda.

“I called the theater. They said you never came in today.” Dad sat down on the arm of the couch.

Okay, maybe not so believable.

I tucked a piece of wet hair behind my ear. Now what? Did I have to tell them about Reed when I didn’t really know what we actually were or if this was even going to be anything beyond this summer? “Okay, the truth is—”

“She was with me.” TJ appeared from the kitchen, holding a sandwich with mustard oozing out of the side. “She needed an extra set of hands in the catwalk replacing some, um…”

“Cans,” I blurted. “Couple of them blew out during our last rehearsal.”

“Cans. Yeah, that’s what they’re called.” TJ took a big bite and spoke with his mouth full. “She had the, um, the…”

“Presets on,” I said, hurrying across the room. “So the stage was lit the whole time—”

“And no one probably knew she was even up there. You know how Eliza is, always quiet as a mouse.”

Ha. I wish.

“Why is she soaking wet?” Mom asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“We had to help Ms. Sparrow move some sets inside once it started raining. I left earlier than her so I had time to change and dry off.” TJ wiped his hands on the bottom of his shirt.

If they bought this, I owed him the best Christmas present ever.

Dad cleared his throat. “I still don’t understand why you had to leave the hardware store to fix a…a can in the catwalk. Doesn’t sound like an emergency to me but if something like that happens again, you need to call me or your mother first. You hear me?”

I nodded.

Mom took the towel from me and picked off a piece of pine from my shirtsleeve. “Go upstairs and clean up. We’re going out to dinner tonight.”

“ ‘Out’?” TJ and I both said.

Dad stood and clapped his hands. “Yes, out. Gives us all time to chat some more about everything.”

“ ‘Everything’?” The rock in my stomach grew heavier.

“Couldn’t we just order something to go like we’ve been doing all summer and eat in awkward silence?” TJ asked.

Yes, I vote for that.

Dad walked over to us and patted TJ’s shoulder before nudging my wet head. “Meet us at my truck in twenty minutes, you two.”

Angelo’s had the best pizza across three towns, and they didn’t take reservations, so it was rare to walk in and not wait. I had forgotten to eat since this morning and drooled just thinking about that Sicilian pie with crushed red pepper. Maybe if I kept shoveling food into my mouth, I wouldn’t have to answer more questions about this afternoon.

“So anything you wanna tell me?” TJ slung his arm around my shoulders as we walked toward the front door of the restaurant.

“Nope.” I flicked his hand.

“Because if this is going to be something you do all summer…sneaking away…we’re gonna need to work on your lying skills.”

Fair.

Dad opened the door for all of us, but I immediately bumped into TJ, who stopped short inside the entrance.