Chapter 8: The Clapping

On Sunday morning I found Sam on the roof of the Redfield building, in a gray sweater.

He was watering the planter boxes I had put in, with a green plastic can.

"You don't have to do that," I said. "They're self-watering."

"I like the can."

He saw my face and put it down.

"What happened?"

I told him in one breath, and I ended on the corner of pink I had seen in Travis's pocket.

Sam listened without moving.

"He took your magnet," he said.

"He took it from a locked shop, with a key I didn't know he'd copied."

"Why would he want it?"

"I don't know."

I walked to the edge of the roof, where the wind was cold, and held onto the rail.

Below us, Columbus was empty and gray.

"Can I ask you something?" I said, with my back to him. "And I need the real answer."

"Yes."

"When did you know he'd married her?"

He was quiet for too long.

"HR got the benefits form on Monday," he said. "Three days before the toast. It listed Brooke as his spouse."

I turned around.

"Three days before I found out."

"Yes."

"You knew he married someone, and you let me walk into that break room with lilies."

"I didn't know you existed, Jenna." He took a step toward me, and stopped.

"I knew Travis had a girlfriend somewhere, because the whole floor had a pool on it. I didn't know she was you.

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