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"Thank you."

Remei heads back to her station and they continue the tour through the factory. It's only when they finally finish and go up to Laia's office so Claudia can sign some workplace safety documents and receive her gloves and earplugs that Laia finally works up the nerve to ask.

"How do you know Remei? From here?"

"My mom used to come by a lot when I was little. I'd come with her in the summer, but her meetings with my aunt bored me to death, so I'd sneak off the second they stopped paying attention—until eventually Remei offered to keep an eye on me. She'd give me paper and pencils, and I'd sit with her and draw."

"That's really sweet," Laia says.

"I guess it is."

They look at each other for a moment, and that's enough for Laia to lose her breath and drop her gaze fast. The nerves hit her all at once, and when she looks around for something to do with her hands, she ends up knocking over a folder full of Irene's reports that she should have filed a week ago. The pages scatter across the floor in every direction and Laia stands there staring at the mess—until she sees Claudia already crouching down to gather them.

"You don't have to—this is—"

"I'm here to learn, aren't I? And I assume this is part of the day-to-day."

"Me dropping things?" Laia says, alarmed, terrified that she'll think she's clumsy.

"Hopefully not every day, but it happens to everyone, doesn't it?" Claudia says, still picking up papers.

Why can't you just be a stuck-up snob? Laia thinks as she crouches down beside her.

When the day finally ends, the two of them head out to the parking lot. Claudia walks ahead, Laia a few steps behind, watching the coat sway with each step, letting the trail of perfume caught on the breeze wash over her.

Claudia stops beside a silver Mercedes A-Class and stands looking out toward the sea, which lies in complete darkness beyond the fence.

"I always loved this view. When I wasn't allowed out of the office, I'd stand at the window and just look at it," she says—and Laia isn't sure if she's talking to her or just thinking out loud.

"I love it too," Laia says, beside her. "Just looking at the water calms me down."

Claudia turns and looks at her for a second before unlocking her car.

"Heading home?" Laia asks. Her voice comes out a little too tense, because this part suddenly feels very awkward.

"Yes." For Claudia, though, this situation has shifted from humiliating to something almost amusing.

"And how am I supposed to know—"

"If I'm lying?" Claudia finishes.

Laia just nods.

"Because I came in heels and my feet are completely wrecked. All I want is to get home, run a bath with a glass of wine, and cross one day off the calendar when I'm done."

"And how do I know you won't—"

Claudia smiles. She could let her follow and make her sit through a pointless drive all the way to Barcelona, but she's not that kind of person.

"I don't go out on Mondays. During the week it's usually Tuesdays and Thursdays. Here's what I'll do—" she says, facing Laia's skeptical expression "—I'll tell you when I'm planning to go out, okay? And you can decide whether you want to try to stop me—which I'll warn you now, you won't."

Laia makes a sound somewhere between a gasp and a groan.

"This way we save us both some time. Every minute I spend standing here convincing you I'm not going out is a minute I lose getting home and into that bath. But if you want to follow me, go right ahead."

Claudia shrugs and gets in the car. Laia jogs to hers, gets in, starts the engine, and glances to her right, where her boss's niece still hasn't moved. She doesn't know what to do. She wants to take Claudia at her word, to trust that she's not going out—but Claudia herself told her not to trust anyone, didn't she? And given her reputation, Laia can't afford to mess up on day one, so the moment the Mercedes pulls out, she follows. She sits through all the traffic backing up into Barcelona at this hour of the evening and drives behind Claudia until Claudia turns into the parking garage of an apartment building. At least it matches the address Elvira gave her on Friday, and when Laia finds a free spot a little further down the block, she parks and sits with her hands on the wheel, not sure what to do next.

Staying and keeping watch is ridiculous—she can't do it, and Elvira knows she can't, doesn't she? She goes back and forth, and in the end she waits an hour before pulling out and heading back to Mataró, fingers crossed that Claudia wasn't lying and that tomorrow she won't walk into work hungover.