came the sound of muffled coughing. I thought of the plastic mask, the shiny tank with wheels. His long night had only just begun. Kate was perfectly right about me, of course. I wondered why I hadn’t thought anyone would notice. But now I knew they had.
“You know, last winter I almost came down to see you at school. I practically had the truck packed before I decided not to.”
“Well, you should have, Jordan.” She gave a measured nod. “If you’d called, I would have told you to come.”
“I wish I had.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere. Let me ask you something. What else do you wish? That maybe you could kiss me?”
I started to speak but couldn’t, and Kate gave a little laugh. “I’m sorry to rattle you, Jordan, but someone’s got to.”
I began to take a sip of my beer before I remembered it was empty. “I’ve thought about it,” I said.
“Me too, Jordan. Me too. But it hasn’t happened. You know, most of the men who want to kiss me at least go ahead and try.”
“How do they do?”
“Oh, about average. Some get kissed back. The ones that don’t . . . well, I’m sure they’ll be all right. Nothing really terrible ever happens, though. Nothing terrible would happen to you.”
“It’s not that simple,” I said. “I don’t think your folks would be too crazy about it.”
I heard her sigh. “Oh, Jordan, probably they’d like nothing better. You know that as well as I do.”
Did I? But I couldn’t remember; couldn’t say if, sometime between the knock-kneed thirteen-year-old-tomboy Kate I’d first met and the Kate who sat beside me now—the Kate that was, in every way, a free agent and grown woman, smart and sensible and basically interesting—I’d detected any signals from Joe and Lucy, one way or the other.
“Besides, Jordan. I don’t need their permission. You think you do, but that’s because you’re a gentleman. All the more reason, if you ask me.”
Out on the black lake, the loons went to work again—not the long, mournful cries of first darkness, but a crazy babbling that seemed to ricochet to the far shore and back, and the tussling splash of wings on water. It took a minute for everything to quiet down once more.
“So, it’s agreed, then?” Kate said. “You’ll kiss me sometime? It’s just an idea I have.”
We were holding hands, though I couldn’t say exactly how this had happened. “It seems like a good one.”
“And kids, lots of kids. I was an only child, and that wasn’t the best deal around.”
“God almighty, Kate.”
She laughed again, enjoying herself. “A little fast? Okay, I see your point. In fact, I can’t even kiss you now, much as I’d like to. You might think it was only because you’re rich.”
“I’m not rich.”
“Oh, yes you are, Jordan. You might be too nice to know it, but you are.” She paused and straightened her back. “So I’m not going to. I wish somebody had kissed somebody around here a long time ago, but now we’ll have to wait.”
I was barely following any of it; I felt like I was being dragged from a horse, though I was happy too—more than happy. “If you think that’s best.”
“And I’m not the prize, you know. I don’t necessarily come with Harry’s deal.”
“I never thought you did.”
She leveled her gaze at me. “Just so that’s clear. And I have med school to think about. It may not seem like it, but that’s mostly what’s on my mind right now.”
I nodded. “That makes sense to me.”
“Good.”
We heard Harry’s door swing open. A dark form stepped out on the porch: Hal again. With his hands on his hips he arched out his back in a long stretch; catching sight of us, he gave a little wave to tell us everything was all right. He sat down in one of the chairs with his feet up on the railing, and then I saw someone else coming up the path to meet him. It was the right size and shape to be Frances, but when she stepped into the light of the porch lamp I saw it was Lucy. She was carrying a picnic basket—a late supper, I figured—and passed it to Hal over the rail. The two of them spoke quietly for a few minutes before Lucy hurried back the way she’d come. Hal stood a minute before taking the basket inside. At last the light by the door went out.
“I’m worried about her,” Kate said finally. “She’s taking