I hadn't returned the call.
This wasn't as unusual as you'd think. My friendship with Livia had always been an on-again, off-again sort of thing. And judging from her demeanor now, we were on again with a vengeance.
With another smile, she called out, "Small world, huh?"
I knew Livia.It wasn't that small.
Still, Iwascurious.
When I made a move toward the river, a hand on my elbow made me turn to look.
Mason frowned. "What are you doing?"
Wasn't it obvious?"I'm gonna get closer."
"Why?"
"Oh, I dunno," I said. "Maybe to cut down on the yelling?"
"Forget it. That chick's crazy."
"Oh, please. I've known her since kindergarten."
"So?"
"So yeah, she's a little enthusiastic, I guess. But she's not crazy-crazy."Or at least, I sure hoped not.
Mason replied, "Says you."
"Well, you're not gonna stop me," I said.
He looked at me for a long silent moment before saying with a marked lack of enthusiasm, "Hang on. I'll get the lights."
"Sorry, what?"
"The landscape lights," he said. "I don't want you tripping on the way."
I saw what he meant. Although the mansion across the river was fully lit, our patio, as well as the rest of Mason's yard, was still cast in shadows.
This posed an interesting question.Just how did Livia know who we were?
But of course, the answer should've been obvious. She knew, because her arrival in Bayside was no accident. And her arrivalhere, directly across from Mason's place, was so devious, I hardly knew what to think.
I bit my lip. Maybe shewascrazy-crazy.
As for Mason, he looked so disgruntled, I couldn’t resist teasing, "You know, instead of turning on the lights, you could always escort me to the river's edge."
His eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
"I'm just saying, I'm sure you're more familiar with the terrain."
My statement was deliberately ridiculous. The so-called terrain was maybe a hundred feet of manicured perfection.
He said, "You think I won't."
I almost laughed in his face. "Iknowyou won't."
"Oh yeah? Why not?"
