Gem’s eyes grew wider. “This is Lily?! Well, that explains a lot.”
“I got here myself,” Lily said. “Who’s this?”
“This is my grandmother!” I told her. “Gem, meet Lily. Lily, meet Gem. This is too amazing—two of my favorite people in the world in one place!”
Neither of their smiles seemed to match my own.
I felt something startling against my leg, then realized it was just the cat.
“Is she yours?” Lily asked.
“Just a foundling,” I said. “We should probably see if anyone here claims her as their own.”
But nobody made any move to take the leash. The mood had quickly shifted from curiosity to impatience. Another familiar face came into view—that of Lily’s disputatious cousin Mark. I’d forgotten he’d moved to London.
“He isn’t going to be on our team, is he?” Mark asked, cordial as ever.
“We’d love to be on your team, Lily,” Gem said, swatting at Mark’s gnat-like words.
“Oh,” Lily said.
I reached out and took her hand.
But still, it took a few seconds for her to reach her decision.
three
December 21st
I wanted Dash to be on my team, of course. That’s why I came to London.
But this Gem person?
Not so sure.
I should have been happy for Dash that he finally had a family member he genuinely liked, not just someone he loved (Mom) or tolerated (Dad) out of obligation. But it required a complete shift in my perspective of Dash to see him getting on so well with his grandmother. Dash is someone who avoids family members. That’s who he is. It’s how I understand him. That’s why he evolved into such a book person from childhood. Books were his escape from them.
“You look very fancy,” I told Dash, admiring his posh clothes and clean-shaven face, while also missing his now-shorn scruff.
He tipped his hat to me. “Thank you.”
Gem put her arm around me like we’d known each other for years, not minutes. “You are an impossible sausage of adorable,” she pronounced.
I wouldn’t … I wouldn’t … I wouldn’t … I couldn’t help it! I was immediately falling into potential deep dislike of Dash’s beloved grandmother. Who doesn’t like a senior lady who used to be a very cool groupie who now carted her grandson to literary challenges? Who is that evil and unkind? Possibly, me.
Also, who brings a cat on a leash into a bookstore?
“There you are, Moriarty!” said Julia, who had found her way over to our group. She picked up the cat, who swatted Julia’s face in protest but then nestled his head into the crook of her neck with great affection, a very feline game of love me/love me not. “He belongs to the bookstore owner. I left him in the office an hour ago. I don’t know how he got out.”
“Open window?” I suggested.
“Probably,” she said, unconcerned that her error could have caused CAT-astrophic consequences for Moriarty if he’d slipped out the window and then gotten hit by a car.
“Why does he have a leash?” I asked.
“A leash?” Julia looked confused.
“A lead,” Mark said. “That’s what they call a leash here.”
Calling a leash a lead? Now that was an impossible sausage of adorable.
“I guess I left his lead on after taking him for his walk,” Julia said, again unconcerned by the inconvenience she’d caused to the cat, both left to fend for himself on the streets of London, and with an unattended leash attached to his neck that could cause any number of problems. Humans. I don’t understand them. So many of them don’t think things through when it comes to our fur friends.
“Is he the house cat here at the bookstore?” Gem asked, leaning in for a pet of Moriarty, which was greeted by another swat. I was starting to really like this Moriarty.
“Our best employee,” said Julia. “Keeps the rodents at bay and keeps the boss calm.”
Mark said, “Are we ready to hit the streets, Team Strand?”
I wasn’t ready, especially not after Gem said, “I was so excited when I read about this literary challenge. I knew it was exactly what Dash would love to do.”
Wait. Gem thought bringing Dash here was her idea?
“Did you open today’s Advent calendar box?” I asked Dash.
“Not yet,” he said cheerfully.
That was the box that contained the message directing him here. So he was here because Gem brought him, not me. He didn’t seem concerned at all that he’d neglected my day’s Advent gift to him.
I wouldn’t … I wouldn’t … I couldn’t help it. I was jealous and enraged. I traveled thousands of miles across an ocean and left my dog-walking business in the care of my brother, who doesn’t even like dogs that much, so I could take Dash on this literary adventure. Not so Gem could think it was her idea!
I imagined biting into a delightful piece of chocolate cake baked by British grande dame baker Mary Berry herself to avoid a sourpuss expression appearing on my face. Dash looked so happy. I didn’t want to ruin it.
I didn’t have to. The couple I’d been worried about Dash noticing now made themselves noticeable, coming over to greet our group.
“Dash, old fellow! You look inappropriately dapper,” said Dash’s classmate. I remembered how Dash had told me he cringed every time Olivier called him old fellow, because he suspected Olivier said it only so he would sound like the aristocratic British prick stereotype he expected Americans wanted to hear.
Dash didn’t exactly frown, but his eyebrows furrowed, in a way I knew to express displeasure, as if someone served him green tea when he is strictly a black-tea-only old fellow.
“Hello, Olivier,” said Dash. “Hello, Azra.” His voice sounded a bit dead. He gestured to me and then to Gem. “This is my girlfriend, Lily. And my grandmother, Gem.”
“And I’m Lily’s cousin Mark,” my cousin Mark added. “I’m Dash’s favorite of Lily’s relatives.”
He’s not, of course. Insulting or annoying Dash is usually my brother’s favored sport, but when he’s not available, Mark is always keen to step in. I’d feel bad for Dash except I think he expects them to give him a hard time and would be disappointed if they didn’t. Langston and Mark are like the brothers Dash never had and never wanted. It’s a relationship that works for them, so I stay out of it.
Dash ignored Mark and told Gem, “Olivier and Azra are my classmates at Brasenose.”
“Marvelous!” said Gem. “Are you playing the Daunt Books Bibliophile Cup Challenge also?”
“We are,” said Azra.
“And we intend to win,” said Olivier.
“How predictably overcompetitive of you, Olivier,” said Dash.
“I had no idea a bibliophile cup could be so fraught with tension,” said Mark. He nodded to Olivier and Azra. “Team Strand will crush you, of course.”
“Team Brasenose is not concerned,” said Olivier.
I could feel Azra staring at me. She was so effortlessly chic and smart-looking that I felt intimidated, like I wanted Team Brasenose to win because she was so innately cooler than me, and I had no idea why. Finally, she said, “Are you … Lily Dogcrafts?”