The lights of downtown Buffalo had heralded them into the city, and Adam began to understand what the point of their trip had been. Upstate New York, Central and Western, to be specific, were no longer just points on a map. Their geography, the hills, the vegetation, the industry; all of it was no longer simply a random collection of names and reasons why a representative in any of the level of state government would vote against a piece of legislation.

He’d pulled into the hotel she’d reserved. Two rooms. And now he was pacing the floor of his room, staring out the window and waiting for his phone to ring.

As it did, he noted Sam’s number before fell onto his bed, trying to keep his eyes open. “Hey.”

“Well, that’s a great way to greet your cousin.”

He laughed, reaching down to pull a shoe off. “I’m glad my cousin decided to call me amidst his very busy schedule of saving the world, one scene at a time.”

“Yeah, I gotta live up to my cousin’s reputation of negotiating with the world, one deal at a time. Seriously, dude, what’s up that you wanted me to call immediately?”

He laughed. “Sam, Sam, Sam. How’s Toby?”

“Leave my kitten out of this. But she’s fine. Running around, investigating the apartment, making sure that I’m not leaving anytime soon.”

“Good to know.” He bit his lip. “So. Uh.”

“Yes?”

“The girl.”

“The girl my cousin disavowed on television before burying himself in a hockey tournament in Israel in order to hide from her and the consequences?”

Adam finished taking off his other shoe before running his hand through his hair. “Yeah, actually. That one. How did you know?”

“Lucky guess?”

“Nope.”

“Because you’ve turned yourself into a monk…not exactly a monk, but you know. You’ve spent way too long atoning for a moment of stupidity when you were still a kid who didn’t know any better. You’re twenty-seven, and you’re hopefully a bit more mature than you were, though who knows. Anyway, you sound like a goddam tortoise, and you said the words ‘the girl’ like you’re telling me the biggest secret in the world. Drop the bombshell, already.”

Which was fair and why he’d called Sam in the first place. “Speaking of atoning, she’s decided to forgive me and told me why I should forgive her. Which of course I’d like to, you know, because I’m not an idiot, and I…want her back. Do you think I’ll fuck it up again?”

“Between now and Yom Kippur? Between now and the next Shadow Squad movie, which is seriously kicking my ass, by the way.”

“You are Mr. Shadow, so don’t give me that shit.”

“But I can still screw up my lines, make stupid decisions, and even worse bets about my favorite hockey team.”

“What did you do? Why did you bet against my Toronto Sirens, exactly?”

“One, because they have the stupidest nickname in all of pro sports.”

“That’s the dumbest line I’ve ever heard, actually. Come on. Seriously?”

“Yes. I stand by that comment, noting that of all the things your fair city is known for, the league, or whoever named that team, picked the ‘Sirens’. But more importantly, two, I bet against Boston. Before Semenov got injured.”

Adam bit his lip. “The travails of being an Empires fan, I guess?”

“Pretty much. But my bet has been collected upon, and sometime soon, I will be walking around a children’s hospital wearing a jar of baked beans.”

He laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. 'Fraid not. But there’s a reason.”

“Aside from Tikkun Olam? Aside from Tzedakah? All around making the world better?”

“Aside from all of that good stuff, and seeing smiles on the faces of kids that don’t usually get the chance. The reason I do all of this? Because, dear cousin, my friend, my buddy, my pal? I’m human. I make mistakes. I’m going to screw up. But that’s the beauty of it all. There’s always a chance I’m going to fuck up. But only if I take the chance.”

Adam sighed as he practically collapsed on the bed. “I get it. Okay.”

“And remember, do not disavow your relationship on television.”

“Right. I won’t.”

When his cousin hung up the phone, Adam found just enough energy to get undressed and go to sleep. Tomorrow would be another day and another chance with Tam, or at least he hoped so.