in his ex-girlfriends that the subject never comes up. For example, I’m trying to think of the number of times he’s mentioned you, Genevieve.” I crinkle my brow thoughtfully. “Oh yes. None.”
“Well.” Genevieve’s smile freezes. “If I can be any help, please let me know. Oh, Matt, there you are.”
“Hi.” As Matt joins us, his eyes swivel uneasily from Genevieve to me and back again. “So…you guys have been talking. Great.”
“Yes, isn’t it great?” I say. “So great. But I’ll let you two get ready for the event now,” I add, seizing the chance to escape. “Have fun!”
As I stride out of the Green Room, I’m breathing heavily. What was that? She’s the most narcissistic bighead I’ve ever met.
“Wait. Ava.” Matt appears at my side, dodging a pair of handsome young men wearing heavy makeup, Harriet wigs, and sequined evening dresses. “Sorry. Sorry. I know she’s—”
“Matt!” A young guy in a well-cut suit interrupts us and pumps Matt’s hand cheerfully. “Great to see you.”
“Hi, Mike,” says Matt, brightening. “Didn’t know you were coming over. This is Mike,” he adds to me. “Runs U.S. marketing. Mike, Ava.”
“Hi,” I say, smiling politely.
“I had some meetings in London anyway,” says Mike. “So I thought I’d take in the expo….” He glances around at the milling crowds. “Attendance looks good. Any news on the Harriet movie release?”
Movie? Matt tells me nothing.
“Nothing recently,” says Matt. “But you’ll be the first to know.”
“Sure.” Mike nods easily, then adds in a lower voice, “I hear you’re going out to Japan for a while, Matt? Reading between the lines, I think they need you out there. It’s pretty chaotic. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the news.”
My eyes dart toward Matt, waiting for him to explain that he’s not going to Japan, but his face has frozen.
“Right,” he says at last, avoiding my gaze. “Well, it’s a complex situation.”
Complex? What’s complex?
“Sure is.” Mike glances at his watch. “Oh, I have to go. Great to bump into you! And to meet you, Ava.”
He strides off with a cheery wave and I turn to Matt, determined not to overreact.
“He’s got the wrong end of the stick somehow!” I say with a laugh.
“Huh,” says Matt.
I wait for more, but it doesn’t come, and I stiffen. What’s going on?
“Matt, I thought you talked to your parents,” I say as calmly as I can. “I thought you said you wouldn’t go to Japan.”
“I did,” says Matt, avoiding my gaze. “I told them…I said it was suboptimal.”
“Suboptimal?” I echo, dismayed. “But did you say you wouldn’t go? Did you refuse?”
“I made my views crystal clear,” says Matt after another pause. “But it’s sensitive, it’s tricky, we haven’t found a solution yet….” He screws up his face and rubs it briefly with a fist. “Look, Ava, let’s not do this now.”
“Do you want to go?” I say, feeling a clawing misery.
“No, of course not,” Matt lashes back irately. “You know I don’t.”
“Well, then, you need to shut it down!” I say in agitation. “The longer you let them think you’re going, the harder it’ll be to pull out. Don’t you see that?”
“I know.” Matt looks wretched. “I’ll do it. But it’s not straightforward. In my family…talking is…It’s not easy. It can go wrong.”
He gazes at me as though expecting me to comprehend. And I want to, but I don’t. Yet again I feel as though I’ll never understand where Matt comes from.
“How can talking go wrong?” I say helplessly. “How can being truthful go wrong?”
Matt sighs. “Come here.” He reaches for me and pulls me into a tight hug. But I notice he doesn’t answer either question.
Twenty-Two
It turns out Harriet’s House gummies are pretty damn good. Half an hour later I’ve bought three packets and stress-munched them while walking around stalls, looking at all the dolls and houses and clothes and makeup.
Nell’s right: This is a totally misogynistic, retrograde brand, unsuitable for feminists in this day and age. On the other hand, I can see why it’s addictive. There are so many accessories. So many worlds. So many outfits.
When I reach the Animal Zone, I become transfixed by the display of toy dogs that Harriet and her various pals have had over the years. Because toy dogs are a whole different thing from dolls. They’re noble. They’re beautiful. Anyone might hanker after a toy dog. And I’m just asking the price of the beagle when jaunty music sounds through the loudspeakers, followed by an upbeat woman’s voice: