Parallelogram Omnibus Edition

by Brande, Robin

  “Did you go to school?” I ask Jake quietly.

  He pops another handful of ginger-crusted peanuts into his mouth. “No, your father took me on when I was fifteen.”

  “So, what did you do before then?” I ask.

  “I helped with the stables, mostly,” he says. “Some work in the house—whatever needed doing. I’d take over Lyman’s duties whenever he needed to leave.”

  I can’t picture Jake as the doorman. I wonder if he had to wear the black jacket and white gloves.

  “So Celeste doesn’t go to school, either?” I ask.

  Jake is looking at me funny now. Like I should know better than to ask these questions.

  “I mean, no,” I say, “obviously not. She’s working.” I cough and take a sip of coffee.

  I catch Daniel’s eye. He’s sitting across the table, which is inconvenient, since usually whenever I got into situations like this he’d sit beside me and bump my leg with his or squeeze my hand—something to let me know I’m doing something wrong that’s going to get me exposed.

  But I’m curious now, and so I’m going to keep going. Carefully.

  “When did Alexa start working for my mother?”

  “Same time,” Jake says. “Fifteen.”

  “What will Celeste do?” I ask. “When she’s fifteen?”

  “She wants to graduate from house maid to assistant cook.” Jake laughs. “If you can believe it, she’d rather work for my mother than Alexa.”

  “Oh. Right,” I say. “Sure.”

  There’s something that still doesn’t make sense: if Jake has only been apprenticed to Halli’s father for the past two years, how did he learn so much chemistry? Because it was clear in our meeting with Mr. Chilton that Jake knows as much about it as I do—maybe more.

  “So how did you learn chemistry?” I ask him. “Just from my father?”

  “No, from the histories,” Jake says.

  And now Bryan, who I thought was too preoccupied listening to Sarah, turns to us and chimes in.

  “Which ones?” he asks Jake. “Two or seven?”

  “Two,” Jake answers. “I always liked theirs best.”

  “Too technical,” Bryan says. “Seven’s better—more stories.”

  I steal a glance at Daniel. He’s too far away to explain this all to me.

  “What about fourteen?” Sarah asks. “Surely the finest history organization of all time, and before you answer it’s my duty to tell you that Daniel’s and my parents work there, so your correct answer must be unequivocal admiration.”

  “History 14 is the best,” Bryan says, “by far.”

  Sarah extends her hand. “You may now claim me in marriage. My parents will not object.”

  Bryan kisses the top of her hand and he . . . is . . . gone. If that isn’t the expression of a guy who’s totally smitten—

  Sarah sighs. “I envy you two,” she says to Jake and Bryan. “I’ve begged my parents to apprentice me instead of always sending me back to that medieval school, but since I have no discernable talent at anything useful, it’s been difficult for me to tell them precisely what it is I want to do.”

  “Theater!” one of her friends, the girl with short blonde hair says.

  “Yes, well, one can only play Marie Curie discovering radium so many times, can’t one?” Sarah answers. “What I’m really hoping is that Halli Markham will allow me to apprentice myself to her, so she can teach me to be an explorer.”

  “Oh . . . uh . . . seriously?” I ask.

  “That depends,” Sarah says, “on whether you take the request seriously.” She smiles. “If not, then of course I’m joking.”

  But I see it on her face: that hopeful look.

  “Um, let me think about it, okay?” I have no idea what else to say. Would Halli ever take on an apprentice? And what, exactly, would that mean?

  “What about you, Dan?” Jake asks, addressing him directly for the first time all evening. “School or profession?”

  “School,” Daniel says. “For now. “I haven’t been fortunate to find an apprenticeship in my field.”

  “Which is?” Jake asks, pleasantly enough. Although I can hear a particular tone underneath it.

  “Neurobotany,” Sarah answers for her brother. “Loads more difficult than any one of us at this table will ever understand, so I suggest we move on to the discussion of food. You don’t mind, do you, Daniel?”

  “Not at all,” he says, tilting his head in a kind of formal nod toward Jake. Like he’s acknowledging some unspoken challenge between the two of them.

  “Good,” Sarah says, “because tea and scones were a fine start, but I need something more substantial, and clearly Bryan does, too, since he’s already eaten everyone else’s share.”

  For a moment Bryan looks embarrassed.

  “I like a man with a hardy appetite,” Sarah says. “It means he’ll hold his tongue someday when I get old and fat, since he’ll be even older and fatter. How old are you?”

  “Twenty-two,” Bryan answers.

  “Yes, then, see?” Sarah says. “Five years advance start. Eat however much you like. You know what your future holds.”

  Bryan turns to Daniel. “Is your sister like this with everyone?”

  “She’s usually very shy,” Daniel answers. “Can barely speak. We’ve had to hire tutors to force her to recite the alphabet.”

  I’m relieved to hear him be sarcastic. That’s the Daniel I know. Maybe he’s over the shock.

  “We go to an all-girls school,” Sarah’s brunette friend tells Bryan. “Don’t worry—she hardly meets anyone.”

  “And this one’s obviously taken by Halli Markham,” Sarah says, pointing to Jake. “So that leaves you and me, Bryan . . .”

  She says a few more witty things, and Bryan says a few back, but I’m stuck in this vortex right here, feeling Daniel’s eyes boring into me, feeling Jake tense at my side, and noticing that even though Bryan didn’t miss a beat and kept on talking, his expression changed ever so slightly in that moment as he took note of a potentially juicy piece of gossip.

  I love Sarah, but sometimes . . .

  “Oh, if only your cousin could be here!” she says to me. “Think of how much more fun we’d have! Daniel, don’t you miss Audie?”

  “Terribly,” he says, looking straight into my eyes.

  35

  “Miss Markham,” the doorman says with a slight bow.

  “Hi, Bates.”

  “You’re not really going to go with them, are you?” Jake asks as we head for the elevator.

  “I have to,” I say. “Sarah’s family is expecting me.” Which isn’t quite true, since I’m not even sure her parents know she invited me to stay. But it’s exactly the kind of excuse I need so I can grab some time alone with Daniel and start sorting this whole thing out.

  This whole physics thing, I mean. I’m not sure at all what to do about the personal.

  Bryan is still in the car. I could tell when we got out that he wasn’t quite ready to let Sarah out of his sight for the night. I’ve seen her charm a guy before—this schoolmate of Daniel’s who came along with them to the Alps—but that was nothing compared to this all-out flirtation with Bryan. Or maybe Bryan is just better at the game than Martin was, and Sarah is enjoying herself that much more. I’m sure I’ll get the story once we’ve moved onto the slumber party stage of the night.

  But first I have this stage to get through. The part where I keep Jake over there and me over here, and not fall back into our habit lately of making out whenever no one else is around.

  The latest demonstration of that was when we were in Mr. Chilton’s office this afternoon, going over some of the holographic diagrams I asked him to show me. Bryan was still banned from the room since we were talking about corporate secrets, and at one point Mr. Chilton had to leave for a few minutes to answer a call.

  Jake held his finger to his lips, maybe because he knew the walls were bugged, just like the bedrooms on the island, then he pulled me to h
im and starting kissing me as quietly as a person can kiss while also making the other person dizzy and halfway out of her mind. And then we heard Mr. Chilton at the door, and quickly pulled apart and went back to discussing chemistry.

  And the thing is, by then I already knew I’d probably see Daniel tonight, and I was already thinking how that would feel to be around him again, and I knew I’d probably feel guilty with Jake there, so I decided to try to keep away from Jake for the next couple of days, or however long I’ll be with Daniel. And so it was perfect when Sarah invited me to stay at their house, because I thought that way I’d never have to be alone with Jake for the rest of the trip.

  Not counting on those stolen moments while a Chief Operating Officer leaves the room.

  Or this moment, returning to the flat so I can pack.

  “So,” Jake says, “who is he?”

  He’s just opened the door and let us both into the flower room, and the scent is as overpowering as ever. I won’t miss sleeping here tonight.

  “Who—Daniel?” I say in my most innocent-sounding voice.

  I head into the bedroom to repack Halli’s duffel. Red hops up on the bed and nestles into the pile of pillows. Jake follows us in.

  “You know who he is,” I say. “He’s Sarah’s brother. Isn’t she great? Did you see how Bryan was looking at her all ni—”

  “No,” Jake clarifies, “who is he to you?”

  I’m prepared for the question. I’ve been thinking about it the whole ride back from the café. Because I knew Jake was probably going to ask me something like this, and I also suspect he’s going to ask me about someone else at some point, and so I might as well handle both questions right now with the same lie.

  “He’s just a friend,” I say. “He likes this girl Audie we all met in the Alps.”

  “Your cousin,” Jake says.

  I force a laugh. “Yeah, right. Sarah kept calling her that because she thought we were so much alike. She was a nice girl—Audie, I mean. Daniel really liked her.”

  Have I covered everything? I think so.

  But apparently Jake doesn’t think so. “It looked like you two were pretty friendly when you first saw each other this afternoon.”

  “Well, Daniel’s a friendly guy. And I had a message for him from Audie—that’s what I whispered in his ear.”

  Now have I covered everything?

  “So you’re staying in his house,” Jake says, “but there’s nothing going on.”

  “I’m staying in his parents’ house, in his sister’s room, and no, there’s nothing going on.”

  “Good.” Jake draws me away from my packing, and turns me around to face him. He tucks my hair behind one ear and looks into my eyes. Then he slips his hand behind my neck and brushes his lips against my cheek. “Because you know that would break my heart,” he whispers, kissing my cheek, my jaw, my lips.

  And by the time he gets there, forget it. All my high-minded plans go out the window. And now my arms are around him, my fingers twisted in his hair, my mouth bruising against his, and as far as I’m concerned, we can go on like this for the next five hours and I’ll be in no hurry to stop.

  But then we hear a POP! and immediately pull apart.

  Bryan is sitting in the outer room, sprawled across one of the flowery chairs. When we come back out there he lifts his glass to both of us.

  “Champagne?” he asks. “I know you don’t drink, Miss Markham, but you might want some for this.”

  “For what?” I ask, looking at Jake. It’s clear we’ve both been kissing. We both look disheveled.

  “We’re going to have a discussion, the three of us,” Bryan says. “Off the record, to begin with.”

  “About what?” Jake asks.

  “About the story I’m going to tell,” Bryan answers. “About the two of you. Because it’s going to get out, and it’s my exclusive—that’s the deal.

  “So have a seat,” he tells us. “Start talking.”

  36

  “Oh, and don’t worry about Daniel and Sarah,” Bryan tells me. “The driver is taking them home. He’ll come back for you in an hour. We have plenty of time.”

  Then he looks at Jake and me with the pleasantest of smiles, like we’re all just having a chat and isn’t this lovely.

  And I don’t really see what else to do. So I take the sofa, and Jake takes a chair.

  “Do your parents know?” Bryan asks me.

  “No,” I say. “Absolutely not. They’d fire Jake if they knew.”

  If I have to lie my way through this, I’m going to lie.

  “When did it start?” Bryan asks.

  “A few days ago,” I say.

  “Nine years,” Jake answers. “I’ve loved her since I was eight.”

  Oh, so we’re telling that kind of a story.

  “Miss Markham—may I call you Halli?”

  “You might as well,” I say. It seems like we’re past any formality now.

  “Halli, how long have you loved Jake?”

  “Uh . . .”

  “Do you love him?” Bryan presses.

  I stand back up. “Look, this is really personal. I’m not very comfortable with it. There are some things that are just private.”

  I look to Jake for support. But he’s not saying a word.

  “I told you you could film me,” I go on, “but I never said anything about answering a bunch of personal questions.”

  “Someone is going to ask them,” Bryan answers. “Wouldn’t you rather it was me?”

  “Why is ‘someone’ going to ask them?” I say. “What makes you think anyone will know? We can be more careful—can’t we, Jake?”

  Bryan turns to him. “Sarah noticed. Other people will, too. It’s my fault I’m so dense, or I would have picked up on it sooner. Do you want someone like History 1 breaking it? It’ll be far worse.”

  Jake groans. “He’s right,” he tells me.

  “But I don’t want this,” I say, and I know I sound like I’m whining, but I really don’t see why I have to do what these guys say. Halli is entitled to her own life. Why does she have to bow to pressure to let anyone film her at all?

  So that’s what I decide to do: just pull the plug.

  “This interview is over,” I say. “I’m sorry, Bryan, but you’ll have to leave. I’m sure Hal—” I almost say “Halli’s” again. “—my parents will fly you back home, and they’ll pay you for your time.”

  Bryan doesn’t budge. He just looks at me calmly. “It doesn’t work that way, Halli. This is history. History is a fact. So either decide how you want the facts to come out, or someone else is going to decide for you. Me, or someone else.”

  I look to Jake for help.

  “History 1 would be worse,” he says. “A lot worse. I think we need to go with Bryan.”

  “There are no facts to tell,” I say, going to the bedroom to retrieve Halli’s duffel and her dog. We both come back and head for the door. “Nothing’s going on and nothing will. Jake, thank you for helping me these past few days. It was nice meeting you.”

  Then I open the door and flee into the hall, skipping the elevator to run down the stairs. Halli’s lungs and legs handle it well, and I’m barely out of breath by the time I reach the bottom.

  “Can you call my driver back?” I ask Bates. “Is there any way to reach him?”

  “Certainly, Miss. Where shall I—”

  “I’ll be waiting outside,” I say, as I watch the elevator coming down. “And do me a favor—try to keep Jake here as long as you can. That’s an order—if you don’t mind.”

  Then Red and I take off through the doors and head out into the dark and hope no one will follow.

  37

  I’m not even sure what my problem is. What’s the big deal? So what if some reporter does a piece on Halli being in love with some guy who works for her parents? What difference does it make to me? It’s not my life. And would the real Halli even care? Or would she just laugh about it?

  I’m crouched dow
n, hiding in this little alcove with Red, a few buildings away from where the flat is. People are passing by, going home or on their way out, and I watch between their weaving legs, switching off between looking at the door to the apartment building to see if anyone comes out, and watching the street to see if the car has arrived yet so Red and I can just leap in and make a fast getaway.

  I really expected to see Jake or even Bryan come out after me, but maybe Bates is doing what I asked and holding them in there. Good. Thank you. Perfect.

  “Halli?”

  I let out a little yelp.

  The whole time I was watching the doors, Jake must have gone out a different way and looped around the block. He’s come at me from a totally different direction.

  “Where’s . . . Bryan?”

  “He’s back in the flat,” Jake says. “Don’t worry.”

  I’m still crouched down, in traditional hiding mode. Jake sits on the sidewalk in front of me. He reaches over and pets Red. The dog’s tail thumps.

  “I’m sorry about that,” he says. “All of it. It’s my fault—I should have been more careful.”

  “What do you want to do?” I ask.

  “Nothing. Let him say what he wants to say.”

  “Seriously? But what if it’s bad?”

  Jake shrugs.

  “Would my parents fire you?” I ask. “I was just making that up, but—is it true?”

  “I don’t know,” he says. “I don’t really care.”

  “How can you not care?”

  There’s light coming from the lobby of the building next door, and it’s enough to let me see Jake’s face. And enough for him to see mine. He looks me in the eyes.

  “Why do you think I’ve been working for your father all this time?” he asks. “I could have gone somewhere else. I could have left that place a long time ago.”

  I can feel the saliva in my mouth drying up. Because I think I know where this is going. And I think it might just scare me.

  “I’ve been waiting for you,” Jake tells me. “I didn’t know how else to do it. So I’ve just been biding my time there, hoping some day you’d finally show up.”