Clare was waving at Annabel, who had spotted them and was advancing through the crowd, kicking Bob’s shoulders like a medieval knight on her steed. “She said so. She was hugging Bob.”

“Where was your uncle?” asked Laura quickly, seeing Bob herself through the crowd, getting closer.

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen him in ages. What is an open marriage?” Then Bob reached them and the two girls grabbed each other into a hug, which dragged him and Laura together as well. After a second of confusion they both laughed awkwardly, and Laura was glad he couldn’t see her face while she processed what Clare had said.

Then, from beyond Bob’s shoulder, she heard Lili’s exasperated and panicky voice. “Clare! What happened? We had a plan, we had an agreement.”

Clare nodded solemnly as Laura lowered her into her mother’s arms. “I know, but the crowd tore me away.”

Lili looked at her daughter. “Really?” Relief at seeing her daughter was giving way to irritation at the frequency with which this kind of thing happened.

Clare’s lip wobbled. “It was dark and I kept thinking I had found you so I’d reach for your hand and you’d hold it but then you’d look down and it wasn’t you it was some other mom and I said sorry and it was a bit scary.” Clare hugged her mom a little tighter.

Lili hugged her back, knowing both she and Clare felt equally horrible about losing each other. Then she stood and smiled at Laura. “Thank you so much for finding her.”

“Of course, it was pure luck,” said Laura, happy to have helped and trying not to look at Bob, who was standing right there, still with Annabel on his shoulders. They’d spent hours and hours together but now she felt shy. Fantastic.

“Hi, Laura,” he said, smiling. “Always in the right place at the right time.”

“Hi,” she said, which was a start at least. “I guess.”

Lili turned to the woman standing next to her, holding a variety of Halloween costume accessories and plastic pumpkin buckets.

“This is my sister, Rachel,” said Lili. “I don’t think you two have met.” She paused. “Rachel, this is Laura.”

Laura smiled and shook the tall, beautiful woman’s hand. “Hi there.”

“Hi,” said Rachel, with the same smile Laura had seen her smiling at Bob earlier, when she was holding his hands. Bob used to be my aunty’s boyfriend, you know.

“Nice to meet you,” said Laura.

Rachel grinned at her and then looked at Bob. “What a team you two make,” she said. “Not to mention the handy lookout.” She reached up to Annabel, who bent down to hug her aunty. The image of the three of them—Bob, this woman, this child—hurt Laura.