Page 19 of Still Me
Whatever she went on to say kept Mr. Gopnik home way after I might have expected. Nathan was out so I couldn’t talk to him. Michael stopped by, peering around the door. “Is he still here?” he said. “My tracker stopped working.”
“Tracker?”
“On his phone. Only way I can work out where he is half the time.”
“He’s in her dressing room.” I didn’t know what else to say, how far to trust Michael. But it was hard to ignore the sound of raised voices. “I don’t think Mrs. Gopnik is very keen on going out tonight.”
“Big Purple. I told you.”
And then I remembered.
“The former Mrs. Gopnik. This was her big night, and Agnes knows it. Still is. All her old harpies will be there. They’re not the friendliest.”
“Well, that explains a lot.”
“He’s a big benefactor so he can’t not show. Plus he’s old friends with the Stragers. But it’s one of the tougher nights of their calendar. Last year was a total wipeout.”
“Why?”
“Aw. She walked in like a lamb to the slaughter.” He pulled a face. “Thought they would be her new best friends. From what I heard afterward, theyfriedher.”
I shuddered. “Can she not just leave him to go by himself?”
“Oh, honey, you have no idea how it works here. No. No. No. She has to go. She has to put a smile on her face and be seen in the pictures. That’s her job now. And she knows it. But it’s not going to be pretty.”
The voices had risen. We heard Agnes protesting, then Mr. Gopnik’s softer voice, pleading, reasonable.
Michael looked at his watch. “I’ll head back to the office. Do me a favor? Text me when he leaves? I have fifty-eight things for him to sign before three p.m. Love ya!” He blew me a kiss and was gone.
I sat for a while longer, trying not to listen to the argument down the corridor. I scrolled through the calendar, wondering if there was anything I could do to be useful. Felix strolled past, his lifted tail a question mark, supremely unbothered by the actions of the humans around him.
And then the door opened. Mr. Gopnik saw me. “Ah, Louisa. Can you come in for a moment?”
I stood and half walked, half ran to where he was standing. It was difficult as running brought on muscle spasms.
“I wondered if you were free this evening.”
“Free?”
“To come to an event. For charity.”
“Uh... sure.” I had known from the start that the hours would not be regular. And at least it meant I wasn’t likely to bump into Ilaria. I would download a movie onto one of the iPads and watch it in the car.
“There. What do you think, darling?” Agnes looked as if she had been crying. “She can sit next to me?”
“I’ll sort it out.”
She took a deep, shaky breath. “Okay, then. I suppose so.”
“Sit next to...”
“Good. Good!” Mr. Gopnik checked his cell phone. “Right. I really have to go. I’ll see you in the main ballroom. Seven thirty. If I can get through this conference call any sooner I’ll let you know.” He stepped forward and took her face in his hands, kissing her. “You’re okay?”
“I’m okay.”
“I love you. Very much.” Another kiss, and he was gone.
Agnes took another deep breath. She put her hands on her knees, then looked up at me. “You have a yellow ballgown?”
