Free And Then Everything Unraveled by Jennifer Sturman Page B

me. It didn’t make any sense. “He’s probably been swampedwithout my mother there,” I said, adding a silent prayer that he would stay swamped indefinitely.
    Patience looked like she wanted to pursue this topic further, but Gwyneth, who’d polished off the contents of her water glass between the Chilean sea bass and the sorbet, broke in at just the right moment. “May we be excused?” she asked.
    “It depends,” said Patience. “What are you planning on doing?”
    “A friend’s having some people over,” she said.
    “Which friend?” asked Jeremy.
    “Quinn Riley,” said Gwyneth. “And yes, his parents will be there and no, there won’t be any drinking or illegal activities of any kind.” I could see that her fingers were crossed under the table, but this only registered dimly through the small spasm of brain paralysis caused by the mention of Quinn’s name.
    “Oh, then that’s fine,” said Patience. “In fact, why don’t you take Delia with you? It would be good for her to get to know some of the other boys and girls from the right families.” Then she added, turning to me, “And Quinn’s father runs a very successful hedge fund. Energy investments, mostly, but he may do some high-tech. Connections are very important in the business world, and you’re never too young to start making them.”
    “Is that Hunter Riley?” asked Charley. She’d been on her best behavior all through dinner, though I could tell she’dsecretly been counting how many times Patience had used the word “appropriate.” But now there was a strange edge to her voice.
    “Uh-huh,” said Grey, thus doubling his contribution to the evening’s discourse. He’d also said “thanks” when his mother had handed him the salt.
    Charley looked at me like there was more to what she was saying than the words themselves. “Delia, I didn’t realize—I didn’t put the names together. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”
    Patience gave an impatient shake of her head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Charity. That was all ages ago. Delia, go with Gwyneth and Grey and have a good time.”
    I should have been torn. If I was trying to prove how well I was adjusting, then it seemed like I should go. But Charley clearly had something against Quinn’s father. With the exception of her blood relatives and Helga, Charley liked everyone, so this was weird.
    But I’d also been spending a lot of time thinking about what I’d say to Quinn when I saw him next. I’d even sunk to a whole new level of pathetic by practicing in front of the bathroom mirror. So I wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to offset my previous stunning displays of idiocy.
    “I’ll go for a little while, I guess,” I said, trying to sound mildly reluctant for Charley’s sake.
    “Okay. But promise to call if you want to come home andthe twins aren’t ready to leave yet,” she said, the edge still in her voice.
    “I’m sure the kids can get there and back on their own,” said Patience. “They won’t even have to drive. The Rileys bought the old Aronson house a few years ago. They’re just up the beach.”

Eleven
    I followed my cousins through a set of French doors and out onto the lawn. Summer was almost over, and the air was cooler now that the sun had set, but it still felt comfortable without a jacket or sweater. We skirted a tennis court and a pool before reaching the steep wooden stairs that led down to the beach.
    “Thanks for not saying anything,” said Gwyneth at the bottom of the stairs.
    “About what?” I asked.
    “About the water glass.”
    “Oh. No problem.”
    “I can show you where they keep the liquor,” she offered.
    I probably should’ve been touched, and maybe even flattered, but I was too distracted. I mean, I would’ve already had enough on my mind, between prepping for a Quinn encounter and worrying about whether my purple Calypso dress really worked with my silver ballet flats—or if it mattered, since there was