You haven’t said anything about Jacob in a long time, she’d written. What’s he up to these days?　　Charlie was prompting her, I was sure.　　I sighed and typed quickly, tucking the answer to her question between two less sensitive paragraphs.　　Jacob is fine, I guess. I don’t see him much; he spends most of his time with a pack of his friends　　down at La Push these days.　　Smiling wryly to myself, I added Edward’s greeting and hit “send.”　　I didn’t realize that Edward was standing silently behind me again until after I’d turned off the computer　　and shoved away from the desk. I was about to scold him for reading over my shoulder when I realized that　　he wasn’t paying any attention to me. He was examining a flat black box with wires curling crookedly away　　from the main square in a way that didn’t look healthy for whatever it was. After a second, I recognized the　　car stereo Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper had given me for my last birthday. I’d forgotten about the birthday　　presents hiding under a growing pile of dust on the floor of my closet.　　“What did you do to this?” he asked in a horrorstruck voice.　　“It didn’t want to come out of the dashboard.”　　“So you felt the need to torture it?”　　“You know how I am with tools. No pain was inflicted intentionally.”　　He shook his head, his face a mask of faux tragedy. “You killed it.”　　I shrugged. “Oh, well.”　　“It would hurt their feelings if they saw this,” he said. “I guess it’s a good thing that you’ve been on house　　arrest. I’ll have to get another one in place before they notice.”　　“Thanks, but I don’t need a fancy stereo.”　　“It’s not for your sake that I’m going to replace it.”　　I sighed.　　“You didn’t get much good out of your birthday presents last year,” he said in a disgruntled voice.　　Suddenly, he was fanning himself with a stiff rectangle of paper.　　I didn’t answer, for fear my voice would shake. My disastrous eighteenth birthday — with all its far-　　reaching consequences — wasn’t something I cared to remember, and I was surprised that he would bring it　　up. He was even more sensitive about it than I was.　　“Do you realize these are about to expire?” he asked, holding the paper out to me. It was another present　　— the voucher for airplane tickets that Esme and Carlisle had given me so that I could visit Renée in Florida.　　I took a deep breath and answered in a flat voice. “No. I’d forgotten all about them, actually.”　　His expression was carefully bright and positive; there was no trace of any deep emotion as he continued.　　“Well, we still have a little time. You’ve been liberated . . . and we have no plans this weekend, as you refuse　　to go to the prom with me.” He grinned. “Why not celebrate your freedom this way?”　　I gasped. “By going to Florida?”　　“You did say something about the continental U.S. being allowable.”　　I glared at him, suspicious, trying to understand where this had come from.　　“Well?” he demanded. “Are we going to see Renée or not?”　　“Charlie will never allow it.”　　“Charlie can’t keep you from visiting your mother. She still has primary custody.”　　“Nobody has custody of me. I’m an adult.”　　He flashed a brilliant smile. “Exactly.”　　I thought it over for a short minute before deciding that it wasn’t worth the fight. Charlie would be furious　　— not that I was going to see Renée, but that Edward was going with me. Charlie wouldn’t speak to me for　　months, and I’d probably end up grounded again. It was definitely smarter not to even bring it up. Maybe in a　　few weeks, as a graduation favor or something.　　But the idea of seeing my mother now, not weeks from now, was hard to resist. It had been so long since　　I’d seen Renée. And even longer since I’d seen her under pleasant circumstances. The last time I’d been with　　her in Phoenix, I’d spent the whole time in a hospital bed. The last time she’d come here, I’d been more or　　less catatonic. Not exactly the best memories to leave her with.　　And maybe, if she saw how happy I was with Edward, she would tell Charlie to ease up.　　Edward scrutinized my face while I deliberated.　　I sighed. “Not this weekend.”　　“Why not?”　　“I don’t want to fight with Charlie. Not so soon after he’s forgiven me.”　　His eyebrows pulled together. “I think this weekend is perfect,” he muttered.　　I shook my head. “Another time.”　　“You aren’t the only one who’s been trapped in this house, you know.” He frowned at me.　　Suspicion returned. This kind of behavior was unlike him. He was always so impossibly selfless; I knew it　　was making me spoiled.　　“You can go anywhere you want,” I pointed out.　　“The outside world holds no interest for me without you.”　　I rolled my eyes at the hyperbole.　　“I’m serious,” he said.　　“Let’s take the outside world slowly, all right? For example, we could start with a movie in Port Angeles. .　　. .”　　He groaned. “Never mind. We’ll talk about it later.”　　“There’s nothing left to talk about.”　　He shrugged.　　“Okay, then, new subject,” I said. I’d almost forgotten my worries about this afternoon — had that been　　his intention? “What did Alice see today at lunch?”　　My eyes were fixed on his face as I spoke, measuring his reaction.　　His expression was composed; there was only the slightest hardening of his topaz eyes. “She’s been　　seeing Jasper in a strange place, somewhere in the southwest, she thinks, near his former . . . family. But he　　has no conscious intentions to go back.” He sighed. “It’s got her worried.”　　“Oh.” That was nothing close to what I’d been expecting. But of course it made sense that Alice would be　　watching out for Jasper’s future. He was her soul mate, her true other half, though they weren’t as flamboyant　　about their relationship as Rosalie and Emmett were. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”　　“I didn’t realize you’d noticed,” he said. “It’s probably nothing important, in any case.”　　My imagination was sadly out of control. I’d taken a perfectly normal afternoon and twisted it until it　　looked like Edward was going out of his way to keep things from me. I needed therapy.　　We went downstairs to work on our homework, just in case Charlie showed up early. Edward finished in　　minutes; I slogged laboriously through my calculus until I decided it was time to fix Charlie’s dinner. Edward　　helped, making faces every so often at the raw ingredients — human food was mildly repulsive to him. I made　　stroganoff from Grandma Swan’s recipe, because I was sucking up. It wasn’t one of my favorites, but it　　would please Charlie.　　Charlie seemed to already be in a good mood when he got home. He didn’t even go out of his way to be　　rude to Edward. Edward excused himself from eating with us, as usual. The sound of the nightly news drifted　　from the front room, but I doubted Edward was really watching.　　After forcing down three helpings, Charlie kicked his feet up on the spare chair and folded his hands　　contentedly across his distended stomach.　　“That was great, Bells.”　　“I’m glad you liked it. How was work?” He’d been eating with too much concentration for me to make　　conversation before.　　“Sort of slow. Well, dead slow really. Mark and I played cards for a good part of the afternoon,” he　　admitted with a grin. “I won, nineteen hands to seven. And then I was on the phone with Billy for a while.”　　I tried to keep my expression the same. “How is he?”　　“Good, good. His joints are bothering him a little.”　　“Oh. That’s too bad.”　　“Yeah. He invited us down to visit this weekend. He was thinking of having the Clearwaters and the Uleys　　over too. Sort of a playoff party. . . .”　　“Huh,” was my genius response. But what could I say? I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to hit a werewolf　　party, even with parental supervision. I wondered if Edward would have a problem with Charlie hanging out in　　La Push. Or would he suppose that, since Charlie was mostly spending time with Billy, who was only human,　　my father wouldn’t be in danger?　　I got up and piled the dishes together without looking at Charlie. I dumped them into the sink and started　　the water. Edward appeared silently and grabbed a dishtowel.　　Charlie sighed and gave up for the moment, though I imagined he would revisit the subject when we were　　alone again. He heaved himself to his feet and headed for the TV, just like every other night.　　“Charlie,” Edward said in a conversational tone.　　Charlie stopped in the middle of his little kitchen. “Yeah?”　　“Did Bella ever tell you that my parents gave her airplane tickets on her last birthday, so that she could　　visit Renée?”　　I dropped the plate I was scrubbing. It glanced off the counter and clattered noisily to the floor. It didn’t　　break, but it spattered the room, and all three of us, with soapy water. Charlie didn’t even seem to notice.　　“Bella?” he asked in a stunned voice.　　I kept my eyes on the plate as I retrieved it. “Yeah, they did.”　　Charlie swallowed loudly, and then his eyes narrowed as he turned back to Edward. “No, she never　　mentioned it.”　　“Hmm,” Edward murmured.　　“Was there a reason you brought it up?” Charlie asked in a hard voice.　　Edward shrugged. “They’re about to expire. I think it might hurt Esme’s feelings if Bella doesn’t use her　　gift. Not that she’d say anything.”　　I stared at Edward in disbelief.　　Charlie thought for a minute. “It’s probably a good idea for you to visit your mom, Bella. She’d love that.　　I’m surprised you didn’t say anything about this, though.”　　“I forgot,” I admitted.　　He frowned. “You forgot that someone gave you plane tickets?”　　“Mmm,” I murmured vaguely, and turned back to the sink.　　“I noticed that you said they’re about to expire, Edward,” Charlie went on. “How many tickets did your　　parents give her?”　　“Just one for her . . . and one for me.”　　The plate I dropped this time landed in the sink, so it didn’t make as much noise. I could easily hear the　　sharp huff as my father exhaled. The blood rushed into my face, fueled by irritation and chagrin. Why was　　Edward doing this? I glared at the bubbles in the sink, panicking.　　“That’s out of the question!” Charlie was abruptly in a rage, shouting the words.　　“Why?” Edward asked, his voice saturated with innocent surprise. “You just said it was a good idea for　　her to see her mother.”　　Charlie ignored him. “You’re not going anywhere with him, young lady!” he yelled. I spun around and he　　was jabbing a finger at me.　　Anger pulsed through me automatically, an instinctive reaction to his tone.　　“I’m not a child, Dad. And I’m not grounded anymore, remember?”　　“Oh yes, you are. Starting now.”　　“For what?!”　　“Because I said so.”　　“Do I need to remind you that I’m a legal adult, Charlie?”　　“This is my house — you follow my rules!”　　My glare turned icy. “If that’s how you want it. Do you want me to move out tonight? Or can I have a few　　days to pack?”　　Charlie’s face went bright red. I instantly felt horrible for playing the move-out card.　　I took a deep breath and tried to make my tone more reasonable. “I’ll do my time without complaining　　when I’ve done something wrong, Dad, but I’m not going to put up with your prejudices.”　　He sputtered, but managed nothing coherent.　　“Now, I know that you know that I have every right to see Mom for the weekend. You can’t honestly tell　　me you’d object to the plan if I was going with Alice or Angela.”　　“Girls,” he grunted, with a nod.　　“Would it bother you if I took Jacob?”　　I’d only picked the name because I knew of my father’s preference for Jacob, but I quickly wished I　　hadn’t; Edward’s teeth clenched together with an audible snap.　　My father struggled to compose himself before he answered. “Yes,” he said in an unconvincing voice.　　“That would bother me.”　　“You’re a rotten liar, Dad.”　　“Bella —”　　“It’s not like I’m headed off to Vegas to be a showgirl or anything. I’m going to see Mom,” I reminded　　him. “She’s just as much my parental authority as you are.”　　He threw me a withering look.　　“Are you implying something about Mom’s ability to look after me?”　　Charlie flinched at the threat implicit in my question.　　“You’d better hope I don’t mention this to her,” I said.　　“You’d better not,” he warned. “I’m not happy about this, Bella.”　　“There’s no reason for you to be upset.”　　He rolled his eyes, but I could tell the storm was over.　　I turned to pull the plug out of the sink. “So my homework is done, your dinner is done, the dishes are　　done, and I’m not grounded. I’m going out. I’ll be back before ten-thirty.”　　“Where are you going?” His face, almost back to normal, flushed light red again.　　“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I’ll keep it within a ten-mile radius, though. Okay?”　　He grunted something that did not sound like approval, and stalked out of the room. Naturally, as soon as　　I’d won the fight, I began to feel guilty.　　“We’re going out?” Edward asked, his voice low but enthusiastic.　　I turned to glower at him. “Yes. I think I’d like to speak to you alone.”　　He didn’t look as apprehensive as I thought he should.　　I waited to begin until we were safely in his car.　　“What was that?” I demanded.　　“I know you want to see your mother, Bella — you’ve been talking about her in your sleep. Worrying　　actually.”　　“I have?”　　He nodded. “But, clearly, you were too much of a coward to deal with Charlie, so I interceded on your　　behalf.”　　“Interceded? You threw me to the sharks!”　　He rolled his eyes. “I don’t think you were in any danger.”　　“I told you I didn’t want to fight with Charlie.”　　“Nobody said that you had to.”　　I glowered at him. “I can’t help myself when he gets all bossy like that — my natural teenage instincts　　overpower me.”　　He chuckled. “Well, that’s not my fault.”　　I stared at him, speculating. He didn’t seem to notice. His face was serene as he gazed out the windshield.　　Something was off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Or maybe it was just my imagination again, running wild　　like it had this afternoon.　　“Does this sudden urge to see Florida have anything to do with the party at Billy’s place?”　　His jaw flexed. “Nothing at all. It wouldn’t matter if you were here or on the other side of the world, you　　still wouldn’t be going.”　　It was just like with Charlie before — just like being treated as a misbehaving child. I gritted my teeth　　together so I wouldn’t start shouting. I didn’t want to fight with Edward, too.　　Edward sighed, and when he spoke his voice was warm and velvet again. “So what do you want to do　　tonight?” he asked.　　“Can we go to your house? I haven’t seen Esme in so long.”　　He smiled. “She’ll like that. Especially when she hears what we’re doing this weekend.”　　I groaned in defeat.　　We didn’t stay out late, as I’d promised. I was not surprised to see the lights still on when we pulled up in　　front of the house — I knew Charlie would be waiting to yell at me some more.　　“You’d better not come inside,” I said. “It will only make things worse.”　　“His thoughts are relatively calm,” Edward teased. His expression made me wonder if there was some　　additional joke I was missing. The corners of his mouth twitched, fighting a smile.　　“I’ll see you later,” I muttered glumly.　　He laughed and kissed the top of my head. “I’ll be back when Charlie’s snoring.”　　The TV was loud when I got inside. I briefly considered trying to sneak past him.　　“Could you come in here, Bella?” Charlie called, sinking that plan.　　My feet dragged as I took the five necessary steps.　　“What’s up, Dad?”　　“Did you have a nice time tonight?” he asked. He seemed ill at ease. I looked for hidden meanings in his　　words before I answered.　　“Yes,” I said hesitantly.　　“What did you do?”　　I shrugged. “Hung out with Alice and Jasper. Edward beat Alice at chess, and then I played Jasper. He　　buried me.”　　I smiled. Edward and Alice playing chess was one of the funniest things I’d ever seen. They’d sat there　　nearly motionless, staring at the board, while Alice foresaw the moves he would make and he picked the　　moves she would make in return out of her head. They played most of the game in their minds; I think they’d　　each moved two pawns when Alice suddenly flicked her king over and surrendered. It took all of three　　minutes.　　Charlie hit the mute button — an unusual action.　　“Look, there’s something I need to say.” He frowned, looking very uncomfortable.　　I sat still, waiting. He met my gaze for a second before shifting his eyes to the floor. He didn’t say anything　　more.　　“What is it, Dad?”　　He sighed. “I’m not good at this kind of thing. I don’t know how to start. . . .”　　I waited again.　　“Okay, Bella. Here’s the thing.” He got up from the couch and started pacing back and forth across the　　room, looking as his feet all the time. “You and Edward seem pretty serious, and there are some things that　　you need to be careful about. I know you’re an adult now, but you’re still young, Bella, and there are a lot of　　important things you need to know when you . . . well, when you’re physically involved with —”　　“Oh, please, please no!” I begged, jumping to my feet. “Please tell me you are not trying to have a sex　　talk with me, Charlie.”　　He glared at the floor. “I am your father. I have responsibilities. Remember, I’m just as embarrassed as　　you are.”　　“I don’t think that’s humanly possible. Anyway, Mom beat you to the punch about ten years ago. You’re　　off the hook.”　　“Ten years ago you didn’t have a boyfriend,” he muttered unwillingly. I could tell he was battling with his　　desire to drop the subject. We were both standing up, looking at the floor, and facing away from each other.　　“I don’t think the essentials have changed that much,” I mumbled, and my face had to be as red as his.　　This was beyond the seventh circle of Hades; even worse was realizing that Edward had known this was　　coming. No wonder he’d seemed so smug in the car.　　“Just tell me that you two are being responsible,” Charlie pled, obviously wishing a pit would open in the　　floor so that he could fall in.　　“Don’t worry about it, Dad, it’s not like that.”　　“Not that I don’t trust you, Bella, but I know you don’t want to tell me anything about this, and you know　　I don’t really want to hear it. I will try to be open-minded, though. I know the times have changed.”　　I laughed awkwardly. “Maybe the times have, but Edward is very old-fashioned. You have nothing to　　worry about.”　　Charlie sighed. “Sure he is,” he muttered.　　“Ugh!” I groaned. “I really wish you were not forcing me to say this out loud, Dad. Really. But . . . I am a　　. . . virgin, and I have no immediate plans to change that status.”　　We both cringed, but then Charlie’s face smoothed out. He seemed to believe me.　　“Can I go to bed, now? Please.”　　“In a minute,” he said.　　“Aw, please, Dad? I’m begging you.”　　“The embarrassing part’s over, I promise,” he assured me.　　I shot a glance at him, and was grateful to see that he looked more relaxed, that his face was back to its　　regular color. He sank down onto the sofa, sighing with relief that he was past the sex speech.　　“What now?”　　“I just wanted to know how the balance thing is coming along.”　　“Oh. Good, I guess. I made plans with Angela today. I’m going to help her with her graduation　　announcements. Just us girls.”　　“That’s nice. And what about Jake?”　　I sighed. “I haven’t figured that one out yet, Dad.”　　“Keep trying, Bella. I know you’ll do the right thing. You’re a good person.”　　Nice. So if I didn’t figure out some way to make things right with Jacob, then I was a bad person? That　　was below the belt.　　“Sure, sure,” I agreed. The automatic response almost made me smile — it was something I’d picked up　　from Jacob. I even said it in the same patronizing tone he used with his own father.　　Charlie grinned and turned the sound back on. He slumped lower into the cushions, pleased with his　　night’s work. I could tell he would be up with the game for a while.　　“’Night, Bells.”　　“See you in the morning!” I sprinted for the stairs.　　Edward was long gone and he wouldn’t be back until Charlie was asleep — he was probably out hunting　　or something to pass the time — so I was in no hurry to undress for bed. I wasn’t in the mood to be alone, but　　I certainly wasn’t going to go back downstairs to hang out with my Dad, just in case he thought of some topic　　of sex education that he hadn’t touched on before; I shuddered.　　So, thanks to Charlie, I was wound up and anxious. My homework was done and I didn’t feel mellow　　enough for reading or just listening to music. I considered calling Renée with the news of my visit, but then I　　realized that it was three hours later in Florida, and she would be asleep.　　I could call Angela, I supposed.　　But suddenly I knew that it wasn’t Angela that I wanted to talk to. That I needed to talk to.　　I stared at the blank black window, biting my lip. I don’t know how long I stood there weighing the pros　　against the cons — doing the right thing by Jacob, seeing my closest friend again, being a good person, versus　　making Edward furious with me. Ten minutes maybe. Long enough to decide that the pros were valid while the　　cons were not. Edward was only concerned about my safety, and I knew that there was really no problem on　　that count.　　The phone wasn’t any help; Jacob had refused to answer my phone calls since Edward’s return. Besides,　　I needed to see him — see him smiling again the way he used to. I needed to replace that awful last memory　　of his face warped and twisted by pain if I was ever going to have any peace of mind.　　I had an hour probably. I could make a quick run down to La Push and be back before Edward realized I　　had gone. It was past my curfew, but would Charlie really care about that when Edward wasn’t involved?　　One way to find out.　　I grabbed my jacket and shoved my arms through the sleeves as I ran down the stairs.　　Charlie looked up from the game, instantly suspicious.　　“You care if I go see Jake tonight?” I asked breathlessly. “I won’t stay long.”　　As soon as I said Jake’s name, Charlie’s expression relaxed into a smug smile. He didn’t seem surprised　　at all that his lecture had taken effect so quickly. “Sure, kid. No problem. Stay as long as you like.”　　“Thanks, Dad,” I said as I darted out the door.　　Like any fugitive, I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder a few times while I jogged to my truck, but the　　night was so black that there really was no point. I had to feel my way along the side of the truck to the　　handle.　　My eyes were just beginning to adjust as I shoved my keys in the ignition. I twisted them hard to the left,　　but instead of roaring deafeningly to life, the engine just clicked. I tried it again with the same results.　　And then a small motion in my peripheral vision made me jump.　　“Gah!” I gasped in shock when I saw that I was not alone in the cab.　　Edward sat very still, a faint bright spot in the darkness, only his hands moving as he turned a mysterious　　black object around and around. He stared at the object as he spoke.　　“Alice called,” he murmured.　　Alice! Damn. I’d forgotten to account for her in my plans. He must have her watching me.　　“She got nervous when your future rather abruptly disappeared five minutes ago.”　　My eyes, already wide with surprise, popped wider.　　“Because she can’t see the wolves, you know,” he explained in the same low murmur. “Had you forgotten　　that? When you decide to mingle your fate with theirs, you disappear, too. You couldn’t know that part, I　　realize that. But can you understand why that might make me a little . . . anxious? Alice saw you disappear,　　and she couldn’t even tell if you’d come home or not. Your future got lost, just like theirs.　　“We’re not sure why this is. Some natural defense they’re born with?” He spoke as if he were talking to　　himself now, still looking at the piece of my truck’s engine as he twirled it in his hands. “That doesn’t seem　　entirely likely, since I haven’t had any trouble reading their thoughts. The Blacks’ at least. Carlisle theorizes　　that it’s because their lives are so ruled by their transformations. It’s more an involuntary reaction than a　　decision. Utterly unpredictable, and it changes everything about them. In that instant when they shift from one　　form to the other, they don’t really even exist. The future can’t hold them. . . .”　　I listened to his musing in stony silence.　　“I’ll put your car back together in time for school, in case you’d like to drive yourself,” he assured me after　　a minute.　　With my lips mashed together, I retrieved my keys and stiffly climbed out of the truck.　　“Shut your window if you want me to stay away tonight. I’ll understand,” he whispered just before I　　slammed the door.　　I stomped into the house, slamming that door, too.　　“What’s wrong?” Charlie demanded from the couch.　　“Truck won’t start,” I growled.　　“Want me to look at it?”　　“No. I’ll try it in the morning.”　　“Want to use my car?”　　I wasn’t supposed to drive his police cruiser. Charlie must be really desperate to get me to La Push.　　Nearly as desperate as I was.　　“No. I’m tired,” I grumbled. “’Night.”　　I stamped my way up the stairs, and went straight to my window. I shoved the metal frame roughly — it　　crashed shut and the glass trembled.　　I stared at the shivering black glass for a long moment, until it was still. Then I sighed, and opened the　　window as wide as it would go.　　3. MOTIVES　　THE SUN WAS SO DEEPLY BURIED BEHIND THE CLOUDS that there was no way to tell if it had set or not. After　　the long flight — chasing the sun westward so that it seemed unmoving in the sky — it was especially　　disorienting; time seemed oddly variable. It took me by surprise when the forest gave way to the first buildings,　　signaling that we were nearly home.　　“You’ve been very quiet,” Edward observed. “Did the plane make you sick?”　　“No, I’m okay.”　　“Are you sad to leave?”　　“More relieved than sad, I think.”　　He raised one eyebrow at me. I knew it was useless and — much as I hated to admit it — unnecessary to　　ask him to keep his eyes on the road.　　“Renée is so much more . . . perceptive than Charlie in some ways. It was making me jumpy.”　　Edward laughed. “Your mother has a very interesting mind. Almost childlike, but very insightful. She sees　　things differently than other people.”　　Insightful. It was a good description of my mother — when she was paying attention. Most of the time　　Renée was so bewildered by her own life that she didn’t notice much else. But this weekend she’d been　　paying plenty of attention to me.　　Phil was busy — the high school baseball team he coached was in the playoffs — and being alone with　　Edward and me had only sharpened Renée’s focus. As soon as the hugs and squeals of delight were out of the　　way, Renée began to watch. And as she’d watched, her wide blue eyes had become first confused and then　　concerned.　　This morning we’d gone for a walk along the beach. She wanted to show off all the beauties of her new　　home, still hoping, I think, that the sun might lure me away from Forks. She’d also wanted to talk with me　　alone, and that was easily arranged. Edward had fabricated a term paper to give himself an excuse to stay　　indoors during the day.　　In my head, I went through the conversation again. . . .　　Renée and I ambled along the sidewalk, trying to stay in the range of the infrequent palm tree shadows.　　Though it was early, the heat was smothering. The air was so heavy with moisture that just breathing in and out　　was giving my lungs a workout.　　“Bella?” my mother asked, looking out past the sand to the lightly crashing waves as she spoke.　　“What is it, Mom?”　　She sighed, not meeting my gaze. “I’m worried. . . .”　　“What’s wrong?” I asked, anxious at once. “What can I do?”　　“It’s not me.” She shook her head. “I’m worried about you . . . and Edward.”　　Renée finally looked at me when she said his name, her face apologetic.　　“Oh,” I mumbled, fixing my eyes on a pair of joggers as they passed us, drenched with sweat.　　“You two are more serious than I’d been thinking,” she went on.　　I frowned, quickly reviewing the last two days in my head. Edward and I had barely touched — in front of　　her, at least. I wondered if Renée was about to give me a lecture on responsibility, too. I didn’t mind that the　　way I had with Charlie. It wasn’t embarrassing with my mom. After all, I’d been the one giving her that lecture　　time and time again in the last ten years.　　“There’s something . . . strange about the way you two are together,” she murmured, her forehead　　creasing over her troubled eyes. “The way he watches you — it’s so . . . protective. Like he’s about to throw　　himself in front of a bullet to save you or something.”　　I laughed, though I was still not able to meet her gaze. “That’s a bad thing?”　　“No.” She frowned as she struggled for the words. “It’s just different. He’s very intense about you . . .　　and very careful. I feel like I don’t really understand your relationship. Like there’s some secret I’m missing. . .　　.”