“Talking about me as usual, I see,” she said as she put the romper on a rack. “What did Mom say?”
“She left the keys at her office. She’s gone for the night, but she told the guard at the front desk I’ll be coming to get them.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said, shaking my head. I was suddenly aware of just how long Matty had spent with me, when it clearly hadn’t been on his agenda. He still had Ukrainian food to eat on the Lower East Side. “I don’t want to hijack your whole night.”
“Excuse me, his whole night will start at eleven, when my little soiree begins,” Margaux said firmly. “He has no night before that.”
“Oh, I don’t?”
Margaux rolled her eyes and shoved his arm. “You are coming, right? And you, too, Stevie?”
“Coming where?” I asked, just trying to keep up.
“We’re having a few people over to the apartment,” Margaux said. “I’ll text you the address. Things’ll be getting started after eleven.”
“She broke her phone,” Matty reminded Margaux. “I’ll write down the address for her on the way to Mom’s office.”
“I can go by myself,” I said. It was my dad’s office too, after all—that was how he and Joy had met in the first place—so it wasn’t like I was unfamiliar with it. And I realized, with a jolt of happiness, that I could go and see my dad. Even if he was working, I could swing by and say hi. He was going to see that I’d been here from the credit card charge, after all. And even if he was super busy, I could at least get a few minutes with him.
“But the guard is expecting me,” Matty pointed out. “They’re not going to let you into her office without permission.”
“You do look untrustworthy,” Margaux agreed as she flipped through the racks.
I took a breath to try and convince Matty I could go it alone, but then just let it out when I realized I had nothing to say. My best chance for getting back into Mallory’s apartment was to get the keys from Joy’s office—which meant I’d have to inconvenience Matty a little bit longer. “Okay,” I finally said.
Matty gave me a smile, then picked up Brad so that he was tucked into the crook of his arm. “Say bye, Senator,” he said, making Brad’s paw wave.
“Actually,” Margaux said as she took him back from Matty, looking at the dog appraisingly. “Can I keep him? I really think that I might be able to use him in one of the setups later.”
“Really?” I asked. Relief coursed through me, like I’d just taken a cool drink on a hot day. This suddenly seemed the ideal solution, not leaving Brad alone in a dark apartment. The dog wouldn’t be by himself, and he’d be with someone who knew and clearly loved him, and who he seemed happy to be with. After having spent all this time with Brad, I was now realizing that this circumstance was the only way I would ever have given him up.
“Do you want to stay with your auntie Margaux?” she asked Brad, as she kissed him on top of his head.
“It won’t be a problem with the museum?” I asked.
Margaux shrugged. “If it is, Zephyr can just take him outside until the shoot is over.”
“I can what now?” Zephyr asked, not sounding particularly thrilled about this.
“Just as long as Mallory knows that she might not be getting him back,” she said, running her hand over his ears like I knew he liked.
“I’m not sure Allison would go for that.”
I looked between them, wondering what I’d missed. “Allison?”
“Margaux’s girlfriend,” Matty said.
Margaux shook her head. “Fiancée.”
“Oh my gosh,” I said. I was suddenly realizing just how much I didn’t know, about either of them, really. But hopefully I’d get the chance to fix that. It seemed like it. “That’s great—congr—”
“Since when?” Matty asked, his voice skeptical.
“Well, technically she hasn’t asked me. But she’s going to eventually, and this way it’s just a nice subliminal reminder for her.” I laughed, and Margaux grinned at me. “But you’ll have to meet her, okay, Stevie? Tonight! Or come over and we can all have brunch or something. I can’t cook at all.”
I smiled at her. Suddenly a whole new world—a whole new way to be with my siblings—felt like it was opening up before me. That maybe—unbelievably—it wasn’t too late to start over. “Sounds like a plan.”
Zephyr’s phone beeped and he looked up. “They need the fountain look.”
“Right,” she said, then pulled me into a tight hug. “See you later?”
I nodded, even though there was no way I would still be in the city three hours from now. And then I looked down at Brad, still in her arms, and realized with a pang that I had to say goodbye to him, too. Even though the problem was being solved—and I knew things would be easier, now that I didn’t have a tiny Pomeranian with me—it also suddenly seemed like they would be a lot less fun.
“Bye, buddy,” I said, giving him a scratch behind the ears. “Behave yourself, okay?” He panted happily at me, and then nudged my hand, letting me know that he didn’t like that I’d stopped, and he’d prefer if I continued petting him. I gave him one more pat, then made myself take a step away.
“Ready?” Matty asked me, and I nodded. Margaux waved at us and made Brad wave too, and then she disappeared back into the gallery.
Matty and I started retracing our steps through the empty, quiet museum. I tried to memorize it all, well aware this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, just trying to appreciate it while I could.
When we reached the grand staircase again, Matty turned to me as he zipped up his jacket. “Next stop midtown?” he asked. “Glamorous, exciting midtown?”
I laughed and pulled my own jacket on. “Let’s do it.”
Meanwhile, somewhere in upstate New York…
THEY DROVE.
They drove on the darkened highway, the exits flashing by, past the gas stations and rest stops.
Parker fell asleep on Teri a few minutes into the drive, curling up against her with her thumb in her mouth. Gilroy glanced over, and something in his expression softened. He shrugged out of his suit jacket and handed it to Teri. Teri draped it over Parker, who sleepily snuggled down into it. Teri gave Gilroy a thank-you smile, but he’d already gone back to focusing on the drive ahead.
After an hour and a half passed, Teri was getting nervous and the kids were getting restless. She had thought north meant maybe New Haven or Danbury. Not wherever they currently were, in New York State. And just doing the time math was getting worrisome, because they would also have to drive back to Stanwich.
“Can you tell us spy stories?” Daryl asked, leaning as far forward as his seat belt would allow. “Can I see your badge?”
“Afraid not,” Gilroy said, shaking his head. “Don’t have it on me.”
“Why not?” Chris asked, also leaning forward. “I thought CIA agents were always supposed to carry their badges, no matter what.”
Some expression Teri couldn’t make out passed over Gilroy’s face. It was gone just as quickly. “That is true,” he said. “But since I was deep undercover, I couldn’t risk it being found.”