“I know I’m the mayor and I have to say this, but I like Queens. It reminds me of the city I grew up in, with real neighborhoods and gossip and a sense of connection. Plus, some pretty swanky high-rises now. I think you’ll like it if you give it a chance.”

“I’m on board with Queens. It was just such a shock. I’m probably related to half the borough. Obviously, you know it’s very Greek. I made a conscious decision not to live there when I settled in this country, seeing California as a fresh alternative to the old ways. Now, ironically, Penny may end up there. But if this all works out, I welcome Queens. I’m rooting for it, in fact.”

“Very wise.”

“It’s Chase’s parents and their team who are in charge of transforming the small patio in the sculpture garden into what Abigail calls ‘a dreamscape.’ There’s a whole lacrosse team van of volunteers coming in from Connecticut. There’s a cello player and ballroom dancers and an electrician who is a magician with little white lights. You get Chase to the garden and tell him the real reason he’s there. Then we follow with Penny. And we all disappear. You’re welcome to join us at a bistro in the neighborhood afterward. I reserved a private room for our post-Noguchi party.”

“Have you thought about what might happen if this doesn’t work?”

“The world will go on. But there will be one less happy couple in it.”

“Yes, poor Penny and Chase.”

“I’m talking about me and Abigail.”

“I don’t think she cares for me,” the mayor admitted as he leaned back against the marble countertop.

“I don’t think she does either,” Alexa confirmed. “But this act of charity may change her mind.” Then, to change the subject, she looked around the kitchen. “This island is bigger than my entire kitchen in Montecito.”

“But you can walk to the beach. As I recall, Penny told me you’re an open-water swimmer. There’s your trade-off. Swimming in the Hudson is not the same as the Pacific.”

“I love the Pacific, but it’s not the Aegean.” Her mind flashed to the clean, clear aquamarine waters off Patmos where she’d learned to swim. She missed her home island sometimes.

“Nothing is like the Aegean,” Timmo said.