Rene’s eyes flash. “How about when you have Neil move out?”

“Why do you dislike Neil so much?”

“I just do.”

“He’s a really nice guy. You could cut him some slack. You don’t have to stomp around being rude to him every chance you get.”

Rene stares at me, her eyes intense. “He’s a moocher. He’s using you. And like all guys, he’ll stick around when he needs you and walk away when he doesn’t.”

The legacy of Mr. Thompson here in the car with us today, coloring Rene’s opinion of Neil.

I sigh. “He’s not like that.”

“All guys are like that,” Rene snaps.

“Why don’t you like him? For once, just tell me why.”

She lets out a long, hard breath. “I don’t like him.”

“You don’t need to like him. I like him,” I say, more than a little miffed.

“I don’t trust any guy who doesn’t check me out.”

Oh jeez, not that again.

She’s so damn female-competitive. It’s indisputable that Rene is drop dead gorgeous with her dark hair, dark eyes, perfect olive complexion, and long limbed five-foot-nine frame. Why does she need every guy on the planet confirming that for her?

“Neil isn’t a jerk. Probably because he has three younger sisters. He doesn’t ogle girls in that jerk way most guys do.”

“Ha.” Her eyes widen, sparkly and disapproving. “All guys look. All guys check. I don’t trust a guy who doesn’t.”

“Alan never checked you out,” I say before I can stop myself.

She stares at me, arching a brow. “I don’t like Alan Manzone either.”

“You don’t like any guy who has an interest in me.”

There. It had to be said.

Her eyes go wide like an over-inflated bullfrog. She clamps her mouth shut and fixes her stare on the road.

I look out the window. This conversation is going nowhere. There is no point in repeating it. I repeat it anyway. “You should be happy for me. That’s what a really good friend would do. Be happy for me because I’m happy.”

She makes an angry jerk with her hand to flip on the turn signal. “I’m a really good friend, Chrissie. I care about you first. I can’t be happy over this. There is something about Neil I don’t like.”

She pulls over to the curb to let me out. I gather my things and then open the car door.

“I’m out of here the day after finals. I’ve decided to spend the summer traveling the UK with my mother,” she announces through the open passenger door.

Well, that’s mature, Rene. Ditch me for three months to reinforce that you’re unhappy with me. As if it’s not obvious 24/7.

I don’t say anything.

Finally, “What are you going to do this summer?” she asks.

I shrug. “Stay in Berkeley. I need to take summer classes if we’re going to graduate together. I can’t do twenty units a semester like you do.”

She gives me a look that screams bullshit. She shakes her head. “You should go home to Santa Barbara. Cool things down for a while. You’re moving too fast with Neil, Chrissie.  But you never take my advice. Have fun all summer with Neil.”

My brows hitch up. “Have fun with Patty.”

Her eyes flash, and I regret that comment. Rene’s relationship with her mother isn’t any less emotionally complex than her relationship with her father. All of Rene’s relationships, except her one-night stands, are emotionally complex.

She does a slow shake of her head and looks away first. I close the door and watch her speed off.

I cut across campus to the concrete slabs with the statues of the bears, the place where Neil and I reconnected at Cal.

I spot him casually sitting on the slabs, long legs dangling—customary work clothes, boots, and bandana covering his unruly waves of chestnut hair—smoking a cigarette. I notice that more the few girls check him out even in his easy to identify janitor uniform. Janitor or not, Neil is a gorgeous guy.

I stop, standing between his legs, and lift my face for him to kiss me. I ease back, looking up at him. “Have you been waiting long?”

He shakes his head, smiling. “Nope. Five minutes.”

He slips off the concrete and takes my hand. We start to walk toward the food court.

“I’ve only got a half-hour for lunch today,” he says.

“Why’s that?”

“I want to get off early. There’s some junk I’ve got to do.”

Junk? Why always so private, Neil.

“Good junk or bad junk?” I ask.

He shrugs and doesn’t answer me.

I make a face at him as he opens the door to our hippie vibe natural café. I don’t know why we eat here. Neither of us are vegan or vegetarian.

We order our food and settle on a patio table.

“I have to go see my probation officer,” he says unexpectedly halfway through lunch.

I look up from my sandwich. “Everything is OK, right?”

Neil leans back in his chair. “When I got paid last week I paid off the last of my fees and fines. I’m supposed to get the paperwork today confirming that my probation has terminated. My PO suggests that I carry it with me. That it takes time, sometimes, for court records to update. So I should carry it with me if I decide to go back to Seattle.”

He’s done with probation. He’s free to go back to Seattle; back to the band and his life.

“That’s great news,” I say, pleased that my voice sounds happy for him and not at all like I feel.

“Yep, even if I’m still a janitor. Only now I’m a broke janitor. Cleaned me out. Every cent. But a fucking relief to have it done with.”

“So what do you want to do now?”

He laughs. “Honestly? I’d love to have a beer and smoke a bowl tonight.”

“Very funny. I was talking big picture. Be serious.”

Neil shakes his head, amused. “I’m serious. I keep forgetting you’ve lived a completely sheltered life. Probation does random drug tests. I’ve had random drug tests for twelve months. I haven’t been able to drink or get lit once. Not if I didn’t want to risk having my probation revoked.”

“Oh.” I’ve wondered why he never drinks. It was silly of me not just to ask him.

He points at my lunch. “Are you done?”

I nod. He collects our trash and tosses it away. We walk back onto campus. We stop at the concrete bears again.

I feel Neil’s eyes on me, studying my face.

“You OK? You’re really quiet, Chrissie.”

I smile. “Just a lot on my mind with finals coming up next week.”

“Speaking of Rene,” he says in that Rene is a pain in the ass tone of voice he has.

“We weren’t speaking of Rene,” I point out, interrupting him.

“I’m sorry having me around gives you so much shit with her. I try to keep everything chill. It’s impossible.”

“It’s not your problem. It’s hers.” I stare up at him. “Besides, guess who’s going to be gone for the entire summer?”

Neil’s eyes widen and then start to shimmer. “Oh, please don’t be messing with me. Three months without Rene? You better not be messing with me.”

I smile. “She’s spending the entire summer with her mother. She leaves the day after her finals.”

He laughs. He sets his nose to mine. “We can fuck without someone pounding on the wall acting like the sound police,” he whispers. “You can make your little squeaks without her getting pissed off the next morning. If we’re on the couch and want to do it, we just can.”

I blush and toss him a playful glare. “I don’t squeak.”

“Yes, you do. It’s such a turn-on. It’s giving me a boner just thinking about it.”

He pulls me into him for a deep, open-mouthed kiss that makes my blood start to pump warmly again.

Neil steps back. “I’ll probably be home before you’re done with class.”

I smile. “OK.”

He makes a lush sigh. “God, I can’t wait to have sex without Rene in the next room.” He checks his watch. “I’ve got to get back to work.”

I stand by the concrete bears, watching Neil disappear across campus. Neil wouldn’t be happy about Rene taking off for the summer if he wasn’t planning on staying here in Berkeley.