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"Well, yeah." Lena hesitated. "Both of you." She knew that Pem was sensitive about the fact that Lena and Kai were together now.

The three of them had been best friends since sixth grade, but a couple of months ago, on a warm July evening, Kai had called and invited Lena to the movies. When she got there, Pem was nowhere around. Even when they were walking out of the theater and Kai took her hand, she just thought, Huh? Kai doesn't usually hold hands. As they made their way down Main Street, he pulled her into the skinny alley between the art gallery and the bookstore, where creeping vines of honeysuckle covered the fence. Then he turned to her with smoldering eyes, and Lena had finally understood. When he leaned close and kissed her, she was ready.

Pem snapped her leash around her ankle. "Here comes Kai. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Lena nodded and watched her friend paddle out.

Kai dropped to the blanket next to her. "Hi," he murmured, pulling her close. "Oh, Leen, you're soaked!" He opened his duffel and pulled out a huge towel, wrapping it around her shoulders. "You must be freezing."

She let him fuss over her, though she didn't feel cold.

"Hi, Lena," said someone behind her.

Lena turned to see Kai's sister, Ani. "Hi," she said. "I didn't know you were home from school."

"Yeah, I don't have classes on Friday, so I can drive home for the weekend." She knelt down and rubbed wax onto her board, using circular motions.

Kai studied the waves. "Long lulls," he said.

"Yeah, not perfect," said Ani. "But better than a day not surfing." She grinned and headed out.

Kai waxed his board, gave Lena a kiss, then followed.

Lena watched her friends in the water, smiling at the way Kai tried to conquer every wave, while Pem was more cautious. Ani had a breathtaking grace in the water that made the other surfers look like beginners. I should've brought my camera, thought Lena.

Ani was the first one out of the water. She set her board down on the sand and stood watching Kai and Pem, who were sitting astride their boards, waiting for good waves. She looked down at Lena. "Don't you get tired of just watching?"

The words slapped Lena like icy spray.

Ani sat down on the blanket next to her. "Sorry. That came out wrong." She combed her fingers through her short blond hair. "But it looks like you want to be out there."

Lena bowed her head. She always felt a little nervous around Ani, who was tall and athletic and a crazy-smart physics genius. She'd had her pick of colleges, but had chosen Stanford so she could stay near the ocean. "I do want to be out there. It's just that my dad—"

"Oh, right," said Ani. "He had some surfing accident, right?"

"He almost drowned," said Lena.

"But ... wasn't it a really long time ago?"

Lena nodded. "Before I was born."

"And that was it? He never surfed again?"

"No. I've never even seen him go in the water."

"Wow." Ani stared out at the sea. "That's some serious fear."

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the surfers.

"I do want to surf!" Lena burst out.

"Yeah?" Ani looked at her.

"Of course. But I was hoping to do it with his blessing, you know?"

Ani nodded. "That's cool. Respect, and all. But what if he's never going to say yes?"

Lena shivered.

Kai and Pem emerged from the waves, dripping and laughing.

"When you're ready to learn," said Ani, standing up, "with or without his blessing ... let me know. I taught Kai and Jamie. They can tell you I'm a pretty good teacher."

Lena didn't answer. She stood up to receive Kai's kiss, his lips cold from the water.

CHAPTER 2

Lena began to feel uneasy the moment she saw the building. Impossibly tall, it stretched up into the sky like a giant steel beanstalk. As she tilted her head back to try to see the top, her stomach gave a little lurch.

"Here it is," said her father, looking as proud as if he'd built it. "Come on." He pushed through a revolving glass door.

Lena followed more slowly.

"Wait till you see the office—you won't believe it," he said, stepping onto an escalator. When they reached the top, he greeted the security