glances at Carly. âWhat an idiot. You wonât believe how much he paid for it.â
âItâs sterling silver,â Jordie says. âAnd an antique. A genuine antique.â
Carlyâs face falls. âYou mean I could have got more for it?â
âDoes he still have it?â Jordie demands.
âI donât know. I guess so. Unless he gave it to someone, you know, as a Christmas present.â
âWho would he give it to?â Carly says. âHe and Nicki broke up three weeks ago.â
âMaybe he gave it to her before they broke up,â Tasha says. âOr maybe he gave it to someone else as a Christmas present. Maybe his mom.â
âYou better hope not,â Jordie says, angry at Tasha even though, strictly speaking, she acted in good faith. âI want it back.â
âSo go ask him,â Carly says. Under her breath she mutters, âAnd good luck with that.â
Jordie hears her and turns on her. She grabs Carlyâs wrist and twists it hard until Carly lets out a yowl. Their motherâs muffled voice comes from below. âWhatâs going on up there?â Jordie twists Carlyâs wrist again until Carly shouts out, âNothing. Weâre just fooling around!â
Jordie maintains her grip on her sisterâs wrist. âI should make you go and ask him.â
Carly waits. She has heard the magic wordâ shouldâ and knows better than to say anything.
Jordie releases her with a shove, sending Carly careening back against her dresser. She storms out of the room. She doesnât hear the huge sigh of relief that escapes her sister.
» » »
âWhere are you going now?â Jordieâs mother asks. âYou just got in.â
âI have to run an errand.â Jordie is out the door before her mother can say another word. She hikes the seven blocks to the new subdivision filled with almost identical large houses on almost identical postage-stamp-sized pieces of land that are surrounded by almost identical privacy fences. The house she wants is in the middle of the block. She hurries up the neatly shoveled front walk and rings the bell.
Jordie has never met Mr. or Mrs. Noyes, but there they are, both at the door, Mr. Noyes doing the actual opening while Mrs. Noyes hovers behind him, holding a cardboard box in her arms labeled Christmas ornaments .
âI was wondering if Adam is here,â Jordie says. When the two adults look quizzically at her, she hastily introduces herself, adding, âAdam is in some of my classes.â
Mrs. Noyes smiles so broadly that Jordie is afraid she has misunderstood. Maybe she thinks Jordie is Adamâs new girlfriend.
âIs he here?â Jordie prompts.
âHe is indeed,â Mr. Noyes says. âHeâs in the basement. You can go down if you want.â
âOh.â She doesnât want to go down to the basement. She doesnât even want to go into the house. She doesnât know Adam well. Itâs true he is in two of her classes, but he is new to her schoolânew to town, in factâand she canât recall ever having spoken to him. âWell, I have my boots on andââ
âPull them off,â Mr. Noyes says jovially, moving aside so that she can step onto a generous boot mat inside the door.
Jordie pulls off her boots. She glances around.
âFirst door on the right,â Mr. Noyes says, indicating a hallway with an enthusiastic sweep of one arm.
Jordie pads down the hall in stocking feet. She opens the door. The stairs are wooden. The basement is unfinished. She creeps down the stairs and finds Adam in one corner, washing what turns out to be a Christmas-tree stand in a utility sink.
âAdam?â
He jumps and spins around. âYou startled me.â Then he squints at her, seemingly at a loss.
âIâm Jordie.â He should know that, but maybe he doesnât. Maybe heâs never even noticed her.
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