“Yeah, nah-no, come on, you know what I mean—the other one, with what’s-his-name fromPretty Woman.”
“Richard Gere,” she said. “Oh, you meanAn Officer and a Gentleman.”
“That’s the one. Where Richard Gere literally carries Debra Winger away from her humdrum factory-worker life and she wears his hat at a jaunty and triumphant angle.” Only Tevin would know Debra Winger by name. He aimed his broad grin at Shayla and wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis. “Maybe, if you play it right, he’ll let you try on his hat.”
“It’s called acover,” Shay told him as she dug her car keys out of her purse and put them on the kitchen counter. “And really, we’re just friends.”
“Well, you have my permission to—”
She interrupted him. “Wake your brother up soon. Don’t be late for school.”
“And your subtext, there, isignoring you,” Tevin sang the last words.
“I gotta go,” Shayla said. “And really, Tev. I’m just trying to help the nice man find his daughter. So ask around at school. See what you can find out about this Fiona girl, too, okay? And don’t forget to wake up Frank. He’s been sleeping through his alarm lately—”
“I’m awake, I’m awake.” Frank emerged from his bedroom, still sleepy-eyed, his hair bed-headed into an impressive faux-hawk. Her second baby, still in a skinny child’s body—but probably not for long. “Whoa, you’re dressed! I mean, in real clothes.”
He hugged her and his head still fit beneath her chin, so Shay took a moment to enjoy that. “As opposed to those fake clothes I wear the rest of the time?” she asked in mock indignation as he slipped back out of her arms.
But Frank was right. She, too, had dressed for this meeting in something other than her usual sweats or jeans. She’d even put on a little makeup. Still, she’d be invisible walking in with the gleaming lieutenant. And that was fine. Her job here was to help him get the info he needed to find Maddie—not to be noticed.
“Mom’s going over to the school this morning with the neighborhood Navy SEAL,” Tevin told his little brother, whose eyes widened, too, as he caught sight of Peter in his uniform. “The one whose daughter ran away.”
“Maggie?” Frank asked as he stood on his toes to get a box of cornflakes out of the cabinet in the kitchen.
“Maddie. Brah, you said she’s in your English class. How do you not know her name?”
“She never says anything,” Frank protested. “And that’s when she bothers to show up. Why should I learn her name when she doesn’t—”
“You learn her name, because she’s a human being who lives across the street, and is in your English class,” Tevin lectured his brother for Shayla.
“She hangs out with that nasty girl,” Frank argued as he poured himself a large bowl. “I keep my head down and don’t go nearthat.”
“The nasty girl—Fiona—is a person, too,” Shay pointed out. “Not athat.”
Frank was quick on his already-size-thirteen feet. “ThethatI was referring to was the cosmic disturbance, not the crazy person creating it.”
“Still, it sounds disrespectful, so spell it all the way out,” Shayla said. “I keep my head down and don’t go nearthatcosmic disturbance.”
“Yes, Mother,” Frank droned. He glanced at his brother. “Morning’s complete when Moms gives me a line-reading of my own dialogue.”
“Good communication is the key toeverything,” Shayla pointed out.
“Andscene,” Tevin teased before turning back to Frank. “You wouldn’t happen to know Fiona McNasty’s last name? Something Italian American…? I keep thinking Fiona Fiona, but that couldn’t be it.”
“Nope,” Frank said. “Sorry.”
Last night, Tevin had told Shayla that Maddie definitely hung out at school with a girl named Fiona. He didn’t know her last name, but he called her “a psycho freak-show,” which was alarming since Tev tended to get along with everyone. Frank’snastywas expected from a child who’d been badly bullied in middle school. He was far more discerning when it came to choosing friends.
Shay’s phone vibrated and chirped its text alert. She pulled it out of her pocket, expecting it to be a nudge from Peter. But it wasn’t. It was…
Maddie!
still safe
Before Shayla had left last night, she’d emailed Maddie a copy of what she called “The Peter/Lisa Meet-Cute.” Then she’d texted the girl, letting her know about the sent email while backpedaling furiously with aPlease don’t block me, I’m a friend of your father’s, I won’t text you unless it’s important, please just let me know that you’re currently safe so he can try to sleep tonightmessage.And sure enough, Maddie had texted back a tersestill safethen, too.
Somehow the girl managed to sound surly in her text—maybe it was her lack of capital letters or punctuation. Still, this morning’s message had come unprompted, which was huge.
