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feel of his tongue and wished that she hadn’t been too buzzed to drive. He didn’t try to kiss her again. But the bad kiss wasn’t the problem. The problem was that as soon as it had happened, she’d realized something. It wasn’t about Andrew at all. She wanted to kiss a girl. And now it was hard to think of anything else.
    “All I’m saying is you should enjoy this time. It’s your last year of high school. You’re supposed to be out partying every night.” Nate shook his head. “There’s more to life than following the rules.”
    “Yeah, I follow the rules. And I don’t waste all my time getting high either.” Kelsey felt her jaw muscles tighten.
    “I’m not talking about getting high. I’m talking about living life.” He lit a cigarette and leaned back on the seat. He took a drag and puffed for emphasis.
    “Look, I know there’s always a catch. Why are you offering me a ride?”
    He flicked the ash off his cigarette. “I need gas money.”
    “You need a job.”
    “You sound like Mom. I know you have ten bucks on you.”
    “I’m saving it for college.”
    “Ten bucks?” Nate laughed. “Good luck. Anyway, Mom showed me the offer letter. Nice scholarship.”
    “That scholarship is all Mom talks about lately,” Kelsey said.
    “Better than her worrying about Dad’s divorce lawyer.”
    Kelsey eyed Nate. “He got a lawyer?”
    “They’re finally making it official. I don’t think she was going to say anything to us about it,” Nate said. “I saw the letter from his lawyer.”
    It’d been five years since their dad had moved to LA. He’d gone to live with his girlfriend. For some reason, no one was surprised. But there’d been no formal divorce. Kelsey guessed the girlfriend finally wanted to get married. “Screw Dad.”
    Nate nodded.
    The bus pulled away from the curb and Kelsey couldn’t help but watch it leave. Joy had pulled her hand back inside and the way the light hit the windows, Kelsey couldn’t make out her face. Nate was watching her so she shoved the helmet on and then popped open the visor. The cheek pads were wet with Nate’s sweat and smelled of stale cigarettes.
    The bus turned at the intersection and then disappeared from view.
    “Come on, you, me, the open road…and some gas money.” Nate revved the engine and pushed off the kickstand. “Let’s blow this town.”
    Kelsey climbed on behind him. “When I finally leave this place, Nate, I’m not coming back.”

Chapter Three
    Samuel Henderson had often said that no baby deserved a silver spoon. And mostly Joy agreed. She unplugged the coffee machine and then plugged it in a moment later, stabbing the red button with her finger. Unfortunately she had inherited something she couldn’t ignore as easily as a spoon or a stock portfolio. The coffeemaker choked and sputtered.
    “Well, it’s official,” Chloe announced. “No coffee.”
    “Something always goes wrong on Mondays,” Helen said.
    Chloe raised her eyebrows. “Let’s hope it’s only the coffee.”
    Joy checked her watch. Dr. Sam Henderson’s full appointment book, Chloe, the college student with no training as an optometrist’s assistant, and Helen, the receptionist with anxiety attacks—all were depending on the new Dr. Henderson of Moonstone Optometry, and she couldn’t manage to brew a pot of coffee. “Think it’s too late to make a run to Starbucks?”
    Denise leaned around the corner and grimaced at the trio clustered about the coffeemaker. “No coffee?”
    “Not today,” Helen said.
    “Give it a slap right on the lid, and then threaten to leave it out on the curb if it won’t earn its keep.” Denise was an old-school butch with a buzz cut and a braided tail. She even had a rainbow leash on her sunglasses. She slipped out of view as she returned to the lounge. Crowded with tiers of eyeglasses and overstuffed loveseats, the lounge had a perfect view of the bay on rare fogless days. Denise had ruled the space for as long as Joy could