Page 159 of Our Scorching Summer

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“Are those square pancakes?”I sit at the dining table, inhaling the smell of blueberry batter filling our suite.

Nico turns to face me, flipping one of the cakes on the griddle. “You betcha. Why aren’t there more different-shaped pancakes in the world? Not everything needs to be a circle.”

Nico’s breakfast-for-dinner tradition was odd at first. But after two months of not needing to lift a finger in the kitchen, I’ve started craving eggs, French toast, bagels, parfaits, and oatmeal at eight o’clock in the evening.

My willpower has struggled to work up the courage to talk about the plan for the next few days. Since we’ll be leaving for the Azores tomorrow, Nico and I need to be on the same page.

I couldn’t sleep last night, grappling with the possibilities of how everything could play out during this conversation.

The fabric of my mind brims with doomsday what-ifs.

What if Avery gets mad and doesn’t want to be my friend anymore?

What if TI has the nerve to sue me for US rights?

What if Nico builds the app he mentioned last night, only for it to fail?

What if I go back to New York alone?

The rational solutions to these plaguing questions are simple—except for the last one. Avery’s the most understanding person in the world; even in the worst-case scenario, I would never lose my best friend—my sister.Maybe it’ll involve some serious groveling, but I’ll do anything it takes.

I have proof of my assignment submission for Professor Miller’s class and the failing grade he gave me. Maybe the college will even let me pass my class since these are dire circumstances. I’ll have to get some more information on the lawyer debacle.

Nico’s app idea sounds great in theory, but it’s unconscionable for him to waste his time on something silly for me.

Finally, there’s writing.

My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach, throbbing violently.

No.

There’s no use spiraling again.

I clear my throat. “I was thinking, and I’ve decided to tell Luca and Avery about everything. I can’t keep Zoe Mona a secret anymore. Maybe they can help me understand what recourse I have to get the international copyright back in my name.”

Nico turns off the stove, abandoning the square pancakes to sit beside me at the small dining table next to the kitchen. “Good. My brother should be able to help. He doesn’t specialize in copyright, but I’m certain he has some friends he can call from his law school days.”

Asking my best friend’s new husband for such an overwhelming favor makes me want to shrivel into a ball and kick myself back to New York.My best friend. “Do you think Ave’s going to forgive me?”

Nico shrugs. “She’s family, Lil, even if the truth hurts. I doubt there’s anything you could do to make her stay mad at you.”

I’ve been trying to convince myself of the same thing for days.

He brushes a loose strand of hair out of my face. I haven’t styled or tended to my hair since this disaster began. I glance down at my chipped and broken fingernails.

My whole person is practically falling apart.

“If we’re revealing secrets,” Nico begins, “I think we should also tell them about us.”

His words are a slap to my face. “What about us?”

“There are no more rules—”

“Of course there are,” I say defensively, failing to convince myself there’s even a shred of truth to what I’m about to say. “We may have bent some things in our agreement, but we promised whateverthisis would be done at the end of summer.”

His eyes glance at me solemnly. “But, Lily, I’m—”

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