Dear Zoe

Jimmy and Tess fall asleep. Her dad calls to say Frank will be okay, though he’ll need surgery for his leg, and he’ll wear a cast. Tess feels relieved but also an onslaught of nervous energy. While they wait for Tess’s dad to come home, Tess asks Jimmy if he’s okay, and he says yes. He says he feels he took advantage of Tess, but Tess assures him she didn’t do anything she didn’t want. He tells her he loves her. Tess’s Dad comes home and goes to bed, and Jimmy kisses Tess goodnight. He tells her he’d been watching her since the day she moved in, and when Tess asks why, Jimmy implies that it’s because she’s beautiful.

Tess can’t sleep and begins to pace in front of her dad’s room. Finally, she goes in and wakes him up because she needs to see a picture of Zoe. Her Dad says they’ll get it in the morning, but Tess insists, and her Dad agrees to drive her to her house.

Tess’s dad drives her to her house without speaking. He waits in the car, and Tess creeps into the house, feeling like she has to stay hidden. She notes that in Zoe’s room the crib and the little bed have been replaced by a tall, antique bed.