I watched her bring him a beer. I watched her touch his chest. I watched her stand very close to him at the grill, so close their shoulders were touching.
I watched the neighbors notice. Mrs. Pratt raised her eyebrows at Mrs. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson looked at her husband. Mr. Kowalski frowned.
Irvin kept stepping away. Every time she got close, he took a step back. Every time she touched his arm, he found a reason to move. To get a plate. To talk to Mr. Kowalski. To go check on the Johnson boys by the fence.
But she kept following.
At four-fifty, Maddie came into the kitchen. She stood next to me at the window and watched for a minute.
“Wow,” she said. “She’s really going for it.”
“She is.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” I said. I picked up the white gift box with the blue ribbon. “I’m going over.”
