Chapter 16
We started making our way back to the museum but not before Wes dragged me to his favorite hot dog stand which was just down the street. He told me it was the best in the city, but I was still feeling too fragile so I watched as he devoured his food.
Once he was done, we jumped in a cab and hurried back to The Met.
Our little excursion hadn’t taken as long as I’d expected, so we got back in good time.
We easily snuck back through the front entrance while Mr. Wagner was talking to another unlucky staff member and returned to wandering the galleries.
While our mission to my father’s office hadn’t quite turned out as planned, I knew I’d have a chance to get the information I wanted at dinner tonight.
I’d also got to spend time hanging out with Wes, which was never a bad thing.
Though I was still at a loss as to why Noah was at my father’s building.
When it was time to leave the museum, we took the short walk back through Central Park to the hotel. Cress and Anna chatted the whole way about the Alexander McQueen exhibit, while I smiled and nodded as enthusiastically as I could.
I didn’t see Noah again until we got back to the hotel.
It was late in the afternoon, and all the students and teachers were mingling in the lobby, collecting their luggage and preparing to get back on the bus to Weybridge.
I hadn’t seen Noah at The Met or on the walk back, so he must have skipped the visit completely.
Maybe Wes was right, and Noah had told the teachers he was too sick to go to the museum.
Instead of resting in his room though, he was visiting my father’s office.
I was dying to pull him aside and ask him what he’d been doing there, but there were too many people around, and I wasn’t sure how to ask him without it sounding like we’d been following him.
It would be especially embarrassing if I questioned him and he had a simpler reason for why he was there, as Wes suggested.
So, I left it, hoping I could come up with an appropriate way to ask him about it at another time.
Cress, Anna, and I said our goodbyes to everyone getting on the bus back to Weybridge before we took a cab to Cress’s house.
The journey only took a few minutes before the cab stopped in front of a beautiful old brownstone townhouse with tall arched windows that looked out onto the street.
It was in a pretty neighborhood with gorgeous tall trees that had truly embraced the golden hues of autumn.
Leaves softly fluttered down as we got out of the car, and the sidewalk was covered in a carpet of reds and yellows that crunched pleasantly underfoot as we walked to the front door.
Cress had a big smile on her face as she led us up the front steps. She looked so happy to be home, and I felt a hint of envy. I would have given anything to be walking through the front door of my apartment in Rapid Bay.
I was surprised as I entered the townhouse.
I wasn’t sure exactly what I expected the interior to look like, but it certainly wasn’t something so bohemian.
The tiles were all patterned, giving off a Moroccan feel, and large wrought iron lanterns hung from the ceiling dispersing shards of light in pretty patterns.
The home was colorful and bright, and the furnishings were completely eclectic.
I’d never seen a place quite like it before.
“My parents aren’t home,” Cress said, as she threw her keys down on the entrance table. “I think they’re in Istanbul this weekend.”
“They’re not here?” I felt sure my mom wouldn’t be comfortable with me staying here if she knew there were no adults looking after us. She probably wouldn’t force me to head back to school or anything, but I imagined she’d be up all night worrying if she knew.
Cress must have sensed my concern because she waved a hand, dismissing it. “Our housekeeper lives here, so you don’t have to worry, we’re not totally unsupervised.”
That didn’t make me feel much better, but I guessed that one adult on the premises was better than none. It was probably best I didn’t let my mom know all the same. There was no need to freak her out unnecessarily. We were all capable of looking after ourselves.
Cress gave us a tour, starting with the courtyard out back where she introduced us to two massive koi fish she’d named Crabbe and Goyle—because apparently she didn’t like fish and she thought they looked a little thuggish.
She then quickly flitted past the massive kitchen that housed no less than three ovens, perfect for the many parties her parents apparently threw when they were in town.
I barely got a look at the living and dining rooms as Cress only gave them a passing wave as she headed for the stairs.
The place was enormous. I’d spent most of my time in New York gawking at sparkling glass skyscrapers and towering brick apartment buildings.
I’d never really imagined the city had such beautiful family homes.
I lost count of the number of rooms we passed as we climbed up the floors, and it was only steps from the park.
It must have cost a fortune. Cress was so down to earth I often forgot she came from just as much wealth as everyone else at Weybridge Academy.
When we finally reached the top of the house, Cress waved us into her bedroom.
It was completely different from the rest of the home with none of the bold and unconventional furnishings I’d seen in the other rooms. Her walls were painted a subtle shade of pink and plastered in posters of bands and pictures of models plucked from fashion magazines.
She had fairy lights twined around the posts of her bed and LED strips along the edges of her ceiling.
It was much more suited to Cress than the rest of the place.
Cress put her bag down on her bed and slowly picked up the stuffed bear sitting in the center of the pillows. She frowned as she glanced down at it.
“That’s cute,” I said.
“My ex gave it to me,” she replied, still considering the bear. “I should probably get rid of it.” She walked over to her desk and dumped the bear in the trash can.
“Brutal.” Anna chuckled.
“What?” Cress shrugged. “It’s about time I put him in the past. Fluffy toys and all.”
It was time I did the same with Noah. Any lingering hope I might have had that the rift between our families was something that could be repaired had been stamped out when I spoke to him last night. I hoped my conversation with Matthew at dinner would only help me accept that fact.
“Speaking of time, you should probably get ready for dinner with your dad,” Cress said as she glanced at her watch.
I checked the time on my phone and was surprised to find she was right. The car would be picking me up here in just twenty minutes.
“I was going to wear this,” I said, gesturing at the clothes I’d been in all day. “It’s just dinner at his place.”
“Oh, I’m sure that’s fine then,” Cress replied.
“I might run a brush through my hair though,” I said. “And maybe clean my teeth.” Even now, my mouth still felt gross from being sick at the theater.
Cress gestured toward her door. “There’s a bathroom across the hall.
” I nodded and gathered my things to freshen up.
It was hard to concentrate on simple things like brushing my teeth when all I could think about was the difficult conversation I had ahead with my father.
It hadn’t been easy talking it through with Noah last night, and I felt sure it would be just as hard to hear my dad’s side of the story, especially when it came to my aunt.
At least I could be thankful I wasn’t going into it completely clueless.
When I was done in the bathroom, I came back to Cress’s room and found both girls on her bed.
“What are you guys going to do tonight?” I asked.
“The twins want to go for sushi,” Anna said.
My eyes widened with surprise. “Sawyer wants to go for sushi? Didn’t he have food poisoning too?”
“No one ever said he was smart.” Anna shrugged.
“The place is just around the corner from here though,” Cress explained. “Give me a call when you’re on your way back, and depending on the time, you can meet us at the restaurant, or we can come back home.”
“Sounds good.”
My phone buzzed, and when I checked the screen, I saw a message letting me know the car had arrived to pick me up.
“That’s my ride.”
“We’ll walk you out,” Cress said, jumping from the bed as Anna slowly pushed herself up to follow suit.
We made our way down from the top of the house, descending the many flights of stairs before walking out the front door.
At the bottom of the steps, I could see a large black vehicle with darkened windows waiting by the curb. One of the back doors opened and out stepped my father.
“Matthew?”
He smiled brightly in response. I knew he was sending a car for me, but I didn’t expect him to be in it.
“Hello, Isobel,” he replied as he climbed the steps toward me. When he reached the top, I wasn’t sure what to do. We weren’t exactly at the stage in our father-daughter relationship where we hugged in greeting. Instead, we both stood waiting awkwardly.
“I thought I’d be meeting you at your place,” I said.
“I managed to get off work a little early so I could come meet you.
“Oh.” My cheeks flushed, but I didn’t know why. It was nice that he’d gone to the effort, but it wasn’t that big a deal. For some reason though, I felt like it was.
“These are my friends, Cress and Anna,” I said, hoping to divert his attention away from me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Matthew smiled at them in turn.
“You too, Mr. LaFleur,” Anna and Cress responded with polite smiles.
“Please, call me Matthew. How has your trip been so far? Have you enjoyed it?”
“It’s been good,” I replied.
“Isobel got food poisoning,” Anna interrupted.
I shot her a glare.
Matthew faced me. “Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?”
“No, I don’t need a doctor,” I responded quickly. “I’m fine.”