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promise, and it seems logical that he thinks I’m feeling hung out to dry. But I think he must have been careless and there’s another fallen angel out there looking to benefit off his
misdeeds.”
    “Did you tell Pepper that?”
    Patch smiled. “Working on it. He’s not feeling very talkative.”
    “He said he’ll burn down all of Delphic if that’s what it takes to smoke you out.” I knew archangels didn’t dare set foot inside Delphic Amusement Park, fearing for
their safety in a place built by and highly populated with fallen angels, so the threat made sense.
    “His neck’s on the line and he’s getting desperate. I might have to go under.”
    “Go under?”
    “Lie low. Keep my head down.”
    I pushed myself up on one elbow and stared at Patch. “How do I fit into this picture?”
    “He thinks you’re his one-way ticket to me. He’s going to be sticking to you like spandex. He’s parked down the street as we speak, eyes peeled for my car.” Patch
stroked his thumb across my cheek. “He’s good, but not good enough to keep me from having quality time with my girl.”
    “Promise me you’re always going to be two steps ahead.” The thought of Pepper catching Patch and putting him on the fast track to hell didn’t exactly give me a warm,
fuzzy feeling.
    Patch hooked a finger in my neckline and pulled me into a kiss. “Don’t worry, Angel. I’ve been doing this sneaky stuff longer.”
    When I woke, the bed next to me was cold. I smiled at the memory of falling asleep curled in Patch’s arms, concentrating on that rather than the probability that Pepper
Friberg, aka Mr. Archangel with a Dirty Secret, had sat outside my house all night, playing spy.
    I thought back to a year ago, to the fall of my sophomore year. Back then, I hadn’t so much as kissed a guy. Never could I have imagined what lay in store. Patch meant more to me than I
could put into words. His love and faith in me took the sting out of the hard decisions I’d been forced to make recently. Whenever doubt and regret crept into my conscience, all I had to do
was think of Patch. I wasn’t sure I’d made the right choice every time, but I knew one thing for certain. I’d made the right choice in Patch. I couldn’t give him up.
Ever.
    At noon, Vee called.
    “How about me and you go running?” she said. “I just got a new pair of tennis shoes, and I need to break these bad boys in.”
    “Vee, I have blisters from dancing last night. And hold on. Since when do you like running?”
    “It’s no secret I’m carrying around a few extra pounds,” she said. “I’m big-boned, but that’s no excuse for letting a little flab hold me back.
There’s a guy out there named Scott Parnell, and if shedding some extra weight is what it’s gonna take for me to get up the courage to go after him, then that’s what I’m
going to do. I want Scott to look at me the way Patch looks at you. I wasn’t serious about this diet and exercise stuff before, but I’m turning over a new leaf. Starting today, I love
exercise. It’s my new BFF.”
    “Oh? And what about me?”
    “Soon as I lose this weight, you’ll be my number one girl again. I’ll pick you up in twenty. Don’t forget a sweatband. Your hair does scary stuff when it gets
damp.”
    I hung up, stretched a tank over my head, followed it up with a sweatshirt, and laced myself into tennis shoes.
    Right on time, Vee picked me up. And right away, it became apparent we weren’t driving to the high school track. She steered her purple Neon across town, in the opposite direction from
school, humming to herself.
    I said, “Where are we going?”
    “I was thinking we should run hills. Hills are good for the glutes.” She turned the Neon onto Deacon Road, and a light popped on in my head.
    “Hang on. Scott lives on Deacon Road.”
    “Come to think of it, he does.”
    “We’re running by Scott’s house? Isn’t that kind of . . . I don’t know . . .