"Be sure to leave it in your notes," she said. "I'm sure Logan would love to know how you know I don't like pineapples. What would even make you ask me such an odd thing."

"Speaking of Logan," I replied, tossing fruit into a blender. "How out of line has he been with you?"

"Do I have a scale to work with?" she smiled.

"On a scale of I need to break both of his arms, to I need to turn him inside out."

"I'll be glad when this semester is over," she said, watching me pour milk. "I certainly won't miss Logan."

"No?" I screwed the cap back on the milk and shoved in the fridge. "Who will you miss, Everly Anne?"

"I like that little Italian girl from your group . . . what's her name?"

I went for her ribs.

She laughed as I tickled her, crying out, "Come on tell me her name. I know you remember it."

"Her name is Cecily the Cute Italian Girl." I stopped my hands, but kept them on her bare knees. "You know why I named her that?"

"Gee, let me think . . ."

I squeezed her knee. "Because I wouldn't remember her name otherwise. You know what I call you?"

"Yes. Very well," she replied.

I slid my fingers down the backs of her legs until I reached her calves. "What do I call you?"

"Everly Anne," she said quietly.

"And?"

"Peach."

My fingers trailed back up her legs. "And?"

"T-Topolina."

Behind her knees. Squeeze. "And?"

"Farfalla."

I leaned in closer, kissed her chin. "Farfalla."

The patio door slid open, and I pulled away. Noelle laughed, already glassy-eyed as she rounded the kitchen island. "Oh, for goodness sake, just drink a beer, Callum." She took a strawberry from the bowl. "Unless you've got rum in that blender-then I'm all for whatever fruity concoction you've got going on."

"I'm making Everly breakfast. And no, it doesn't consist of fruit and rum."

Noelle ate another strawberry. "Amelia is coming by at noon. Can you at least try to be nice to her, today?"

"I tried being nice yesterday," I said. "That didn't work out too well."

My father came wandering into the kitchen as if he hadn't even been to bed. Dark under his eyes. Dark inside of his eyes. It had been a long time since I had seen him look so bad. He gave a gruff, "Morning," and then began to root around in the cabinet. Everly slid off the counter and said, "I forgot to put on sunscreen. Be right back."

His eyes followed her as she hurried from the room. "Still here?"

"Yeah, Pop. We leave tomorrow. Want some breakfast?"

He downed a handful of antacids and then stared at the blender. "That's not breakfast. It's rabbit food."

"Actually," I grinned, "rabbits can't operate a blender. No proper digits."

Not amused. "Cook the girl some bacon. She needs to eat something to fatten her up."

Noelle scoffed. "You know what I'd kill to be that skinny?"