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and attacked her burger. After a few minutes of chewing, she broke the silence.
    “Even if he did come back though…”
    “I wouldn’t see him.”
    “Maybe, but that’s not what I was going to say.” She swirled a couple of fries around in the bowl of ketchup. “You’re over him, right?”
    “Of course.” I scoffed at the very thought of not being over him after eight years.
    She hesitated. “Then why should it matter? If you see him, or he goes to Kellynch, it shouldn’t affect you.”
    I swallowed, the lettuce going down harder than it should have.
    “It doesn’t matter. I already said that.”
    Then why couldn’t I shake this antsy, nerves tingling, heart jerking, almost-fear that had settled over me when I heard the Crofts might rent Kellynch? As if Eric was going to pop up right in front of me at any moment?
    I had to restrain myself from actually searching the restaurant, as if he’d be in the exact same place as me in this exact moment. Even if he was, it didn’t matter. I was over him.
    “Did you ever tell Kaz about Eric?” Lexi asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
    “Sure.”
    “No, I mean, really tell him.”
    “Really tell him? What does that mean?”
    “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m saying.”
    I sighed. “I don’t know, Lex. He came up a few times, but did we have a deep and detailed conversation about him? Of course not.” I watched her toy with the straw in her teeth, obviously waiting for more. “He was an ex. Do you talk in detail about your exes with your current boyfriends?”
    “I don’t have a current boyfriend. Or boyfriends.” I shot her a look. “No, I guess I don’t talk about exes much. But Eric was more than just an ex.” She pointed her straw at me. “He was your freaking fiancé.”
    The first few notes of a song flashed through my head but I pushed it away. “I told him that.”
    “You did?”
    “Well, yeah. High school sweethearts, young love, everyone knows the story.” I knew it first hand, and what a painful story it ended up being. “Kaz didn’t care.”
    “Kaz didn’t care about anything but his cello.”
    “Hey.”
    “Sorry.”
    I couldn’t be too mad at her; she was probably right about that. Kaz had loved me, but the only time he showed a glimmer of passion was when he held his cello in his arms. Eric, on the other hand, could hardly contain his passion. There were times when I lost myself in it, when it consumed me, and for a brief moment, I would burn as brightly as he did.
    “You’re thinking about Eric again, aren’t you?” Lexi asked. She could tell by my face that she was right. “You know what? I think you’re obsessing about this a bit too much.”
    “I—you’re right. It’s stupid.”
    She grinned. “That’s what I’m here for—to shoo the stupid away. Or at least curb it a little. You’ve been gone awhile so I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
    “Thanks for that.” We finished our meal without talking about Eric again. Even later, when I was on my own, I didn’t think about him.
    It was nice, while it lasted.

Chapter Six
    My audition with Maestro Sauvin was a breeze. I played Rachmaninoff to perfection and he accepted me into the California Philharmonic on the spot. The income was small, not enough to get my own place, but it was something. And I’d get to see Lexi a lot.
    Aunt Rose settled everything between the Crofts and my dad. They agreed to his rental terms—even his crazier demands like never watching Marlon Brando movies and banning no-name brands inside the house—signed the contract and set the move-in date.
    I was starting to panic about my own living situation. Malibu with Beth and Dad was an option, in the same way that moving to Siberia was an option. I had hoped for something, anything, else. Since I didn’t have a job yet, the bank wouldn’t approve me for an apartment. I hated to rely on someone else for my living arrangements, but I had to go somewhere until I could