that high, surely?—I’d prefer to be as close to the restaurant as possible.
“All right,” the cabdriver said, slowing down. I looked around and saw that we’d pulled to the side of the street. And there, in front of me, was Josephine’s. There was no sign—just a small engraved plaque. It was a converted carriage house that I recognized from the paparazzi pictures I’d seen, flashes lighting up whatever celebrity was just trying to make it outside.
“Thanks,” I said, handing the driver the fare plus tip. I glanced at the time—9:20. I was even early. I pulled the door open and stepped inside. It had a cozy, old-fashioned feeling, with two fireplaces, dark wood, and décor that made it seem like you’d wandered into a tavern.
“Hi,” I said to the hostess standing behind a little podium. “Um—reservation for Sinclair?”
“Sinclair,” she said, stretching out the word as she looked down at her iPad. “Ah! Yes, I see it. And we have a card on file for the bill with instructions, lovely.…” She frowned down at the iPad for another second, and then glanced up at me with a smile. “It looks like the other party is already here. You can follow me.”
Before I even knew what was happening, my coat was being shucked off and whisked away and I was presented with a claim ticket. The hostess turned and started walking briskly through the dining room, and I followed, trying to figure out where my coat had gone, and also, what she was talking about. The other party? I knew it wasn’t my dad. And I’d told Matty about the dinner, but none of the details, so it couldn’t be him or Margaux.…
It was Kat. It had to be.
Relief and happiness rushed though me, all at once. Kat had come through for me after all—I would get to see her, and we’d be together, the balance of the universe restored. She’d remembered the reservation and had taken the chance that I would be here too. It was like I hadn’t let myself feel the depth of how much how much I’d missed her all night until now. No doubt she was just ahead, sitting at our table, looking around eagerly and taking mental notes to share with Teri. Of course she would be there. And I could tell her about my dad—about what he’d done.…
“And here we are,” the hostess said, rounding a corner and stopping at a table.
I stared ahead of me, caught off guard. Because Kat wasn’t there.
But Beckett was.
PART FOUR 9:25 p.m.–11:11 p.m.
Lloyd: That’s farce. That’s the theater. That’s life.
Belinda: Oh God, Lloyd, you’re so deep.
—Michael Frayn, Noises Off
Meanwhile, in Brockville (Ontario) (Canada)…
SITTING ON THE COUNTER OF Alberta’s Goods, Teri turned her bottle of water in her hands. She tried to count how many laws she’d broken over the course of the night. She’d brought minors across state lines. Accidentally stolen diamonds. Driven a rental car she hadn’t rented. Not to mention illegally crossed a border.
Dustin had brought them all to his father’s store. It was the safest place he could think of. This meant, however, that they were now in Canada—which was certainly not where she’d intended to be tonight.
The store was dark and quiet—they’d closed at seven. Dustin explained they were mostly a wholesaler, but they kept a store in front of the warehouse. There were refrigerator cases, shelves of groceries and snacks, and most appealing to Chris and Daryl, a small arcade in the corner.
Dustin had given the kids handfuls of tokens and they’d run off to play. Teri had plugged in her phone to charge, then settled the sleeping Parker onto a few big bags of rice, creating a makeshift bed for her.
And then it was just the two of them, sitting next to each other on the counter.
“Some night, eh?” Dustin asked.
Teri nodded, with a short laugh. “I can’t thank you enough for all the help. But I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
“What was I supposed to do, leave you there?” He shook his head. “I couldn’t leave behind the prettiest girl I’d ever seen—” Dustin stopped short, his face turning red. “I mean… I was worried about the kids. That’s all.”
Teri blushed. “Well, I think we’re just lucky we ran into you.”
“Maybe I’m the lucky one.”
Teri looked into his dazzling eyes and her heart beat hard—but for the first time all night, not because something was going terribly wrong. Because something was going right. “I really should figure out a plan,”