“I noticed when I pulled in that you fixed up your bicycle.”

“I want to be able to ride with London.”

“She said that the two of you went riding again.”

“She rode. I ran and almost died. Hence the repairs on my bike. She’s getting pretty good. I can’t keep up with her anymore.”

“She’s got a lot of energy.”

“Yes she does.”

She turned a page. “I was able to make some calls to day cares while I was out of town.”

“Really?” I asked, feeling a mixture of astonishment and relief, along with a stab of guilt I hadn’t expected. Our previous discussion of the matter had led me to believe she’d never call at all. “When did you have the time?”

She nodded. “When Walter was meeting with Senator Thurman. But it was just a preliminary call. I didn’t schedule any appointments though because I wasn’t sure about my travel schedule next week.”

“You’re traveling next week, too?”

“I think so. But I’m not sure what days yet.”

“When do you think you’ll find out?”

“I’m hoping by tomorrow, but who knows? I’ll let you know as soon as I know.”

I didn’t know how Spannerman could believe that scheduling last-minute overnights was fair to employees, but then again, my experience of him told me that he probably didn’t care.

“What did the day cares say?”

“I didn’t speak to them very long. I just wanted a sense of some of the activities they offer, how many kids are there, things like that.”

“Did you feel comfortable with them?”

“They seemed okay. The people I talked to were conscientious, but even they told me that we couldn’t get a real sense of the places unless we actually visited.”

“Makes sense,” I said. “How was your trip, by the way?”

“Productive. In addition to the senator, Spannerman met with two different representatives, and our lobbyist. Now that the PAC has more funding, it’s a lot easier to meet with the people we need to.”

“That’s not a surprise.”

She shrugged. “So you had pizza last night, huh? And ice cream?”

“I figured she’d enjoy it. She wasn’t in the best mood after dance.”

“She’ll like it more once she starts competing. That’s when I started to like it.”

“You used to dance?”

“I’ve told you that before.”

Not that I could remember. “How long did you dance?”

She continued to flip through the magazine. “I don’t know. Two or three years? What does it matter?”

“It doesn’t. I was just making conversation.”

“It’s not a big deal. My teacher was nowhere near as good as London’s. I wish she would have been. I probably would have kept at it longer.” She reached for her glass. “Would you mind getting me another half a glass of wine? I’m exhausted and I really want to be able to sleep tonight. Especially since I promised to make up for our date night.”

“Yeah,” I said, glad she remembered. “Sure.”

I rose from the couch and went to the kitchen, returning with a half a glass. By the time I got there, Vivian had turned the television to a reality show, and though we sat together for another hour, she retreated into silence, content to watch her show and flip through the magazine, as if I weren’t there at all.

Friday morning, and as soon as I woke, my thoughts flashed to the presentation. I was out of bed minutes later, and as I’d done the day before, I worked from the kitchen table until it was time to head to art class. While London was painting, I parked myself at the coffee shop, and lost in thought, I didn’t notice the passage of time. The next thing I knew, London’s class was over.

Oops.

I gathered my things and walked quickly to the studio, feeling relief when I spotted London and Bodhi in the corner, heads together. I was about to call out to her when I saw Emily watching me with an amused expression.

“Hi, Russ.”

“Oh, hey Emily. You’re still here?”

She smiled, looking relaxed. “I saw you in the coffee shop a few minutes ago, and you looked pretty intense with whatever you were working on. When you didn’t show up, I thought I’d wait until you got here to make sure London was okay.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” I said.

“No worries. Believe me, my son was thrilled that you’re late.”

“Where is he?”

“My son?” She motioned in London’s direction. “He’s talking with your daughter.”

I suppose I should have seen the resemblance; now that I knew, I could see it clearly. “Bodhi’s your son?”

“Small world, huh?” As we watched them, she went on. “They’re so cute at this age, aren’t they? They’re just so… innocent, you know?”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

“No hamsters today?”

“Was I supposed to bring them?”

She laughed. “Not that I know about. But Bodhi loves Mr. and Mrs. Sprinkles. Ever since she brought them, he’s been asking me if we could get some hamsters, too.”

“Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, London wants to play with Noodle. And see Bodhi’s light saber.”

“Don’t get me started on the light saber. Bodhi brings that thing everywhere. He started to cry when I wouldn’t let him bring it into church last weekend. How’s your work coming?”