Oliver stared at Felipe with wide eyes before he politely smiled at Teresa and said, “Of course not.”
Felipe wrapped an arm around his daughter and kissed her forehead. How could he explain to her that he and Oliver literally couldn’t leave each other’s company or at least that the tether couldn’t stretch all the way from the Paranormal Society to the Metropolitan Museum of Art or Macy’s? Teresa beamed up at him with those big hazel eyes, and any thoughts of lying about having to work crumbled. He didn’t want to be that person anymore, and part of that was being the father he should have been years ago.
“So where are you planning to take me?”
“I thought we could go to Siegel-Cooper. Mama gave me some money for a new outfit for when we go toThe Circus Girl. I know you can’t go because of work, but I brought some of my own money. I wanted to take you out to dinner, my treat.”
Oliver’s heart quickened on the other end of the tether. He had to think of something that didn’t involve Oliver hiding in the trunk of a steamer.
Felipe swallowed hard and hoped Oliver would play along. “What a wonderful coincidence. Oliver was just telling me how he was headed uptown to visit a friend. Perhaps, he could drive us, so we don’t have to take a trolley or find a cab.”
“Oh, would you, Dr. Barlow? That would be lovely of you.”
“Of course,” Oliver replied with a rictus grin.
“We’ll be ready in a second, Teresa. Let me change.”
Pulling Oliver into their apartment, Felipe shut the door and put his finger to his lips. Oliver looked at him with pleading eyes and mouthed,I don’t want to go to the store.Guilt burbled in Felipe’s gut. Guilt for dragging Oliver into this, guilt for not spending time with his daughter, guilt for not telling anyone what happened to him. He had plenty to go around and no good way to fix it.
“I know. I know you don’t want to, and you don’t have to,” Felipe whispered, rubbing Oliver’s arms in firm strokes. “There’s a restaurant right next door the tether should be able to reach. You can go there and have a quiet dinner without us while we shop.”
“How will I know when you’re done?”
“We’ll come find you, or I can tug on the tether when we’re heading back.”
“I’ll bring a book with me in case I’m done before you are.” Oliver let out a pained sigh and deflated in Felipe’s grasp. “Why did she have to pick tonight?”
“I know. I’m so sorry, Oliver, but I can’t send her away. I can’t.”
“I’m not asking you to. I just wish you could go without me. Look, I’ll go, and I’ll wait while you shop. But, please, try not to take all night. I don’t like sitting alone like that. People stare.”
Gently kissing Oliver, Felipe closed his eyes. He would do right by both of them. “I promise.”
***
THREE HOURS! HE SATin that wretched steamer forthreehours, reading his latest copy ofNational Geographic Magazinecover to cover and back again while a policeman occasionally gave him the eye from across the road. If he had known shopping would take so long, he would have brought better reading material. When Felipe mentioned going to the restaurant, Oliver should have guessed it would be far too crowded and clattery for his liking. He doubted the café inside the department store would be any better, though he wouldn’t have gone in anyway as he didn’t want Teresa to think he was spying on them, so he simply stayed in the steamer and tried to keep his annoyance from reaching Felipe on the other end of the tether. When the first owl cart appeared selling sandwiches at dusk, Oliver launched out of the steamer so fast he nearly got runover.
He had hoped that Felipe might look at least a little remorseful when he returned, but both he and Teresa had a swing in their step and boxes in their arms. Plastering on his most neutral facade, Oliver drove Teresa back to her mothers’ house as she and Felipe chatted about all the plans she had for the summer. The growing list of potential social obligations made Oliver want to weep, but at least when Louisa and Agatha tried to invite them in for coffee and cake, Felipe had the decency to say they couldn’t stay.
The second Teresa was inside the house, Felipe turned to Oliver as if bracing for impact. “I am so, so sorry. I completely lost track of time. I didn’t mean for it to take so long.”
A dozen complaints and retorts hung on Oliver’s tongue, but all he could hear was Ansley.You know how you are. He was being difficult again. A normal person would have gone into the restaurant to have a nice meal or joined them in the department store because neither of those things were any trouble for them. They would have had a good time or at least made the best of it. Felipe was already feeling uncertain, and Oliver wasn’t going to make it worse for him.
“It’s fine. I’m glad you two had a good time,” he replied with his most biddable expression.
The way Felipe relaxed was all the confirmation Oliver needed. He never thought Felipe wanted to leave him, but it was better to be agreeable and never put the idea into his mind.
***
PUSHING HIS WELL-DONEbacon across his plate with his barely toasted toast, Oliver tried to convince himself that this morning would be better, even if the thought of getting up and going off to ask questions at that Institute for the Betterment of Whatever sounded awful after the previous night.
From across the table, Felipe watched him over the morning paper with his brows knit in concern. He looked like he was about to say something when a knock sounded on the apartment door. As Felipe opened it, Oliver spotted one of the pages from the head inspector’s office standing on the other side.
“Head Inspector Williams would like to speak to you both as soon as possible.”
“Any idea why?” Felipe asked, but the young man shook his head and left.
Oliver resisted the urge to press his forehead to the table. It was probably nothing. He had sent up their notes about the Herman Judd case the previous day, and the head inspector probably wanted to make sure they weren’t going to be swayed by taking on another necromancer’s case or something equally foolish. That or he wanted to dress him down about his longwinded notes. Choking down the remainder of his breakfast without tasting it, Oliver stood and followed Felipe down to Head Inspector Williams’s office. No matter the circumstances, going to their boss’s office was never a pleasant trip. Oliver felt his lover’s eyes on him as if he could sense the swarm of bees hovering below his skin as they walked down the hall. It didn’t matter how he felt, he would just deal with it.
