“Annie-hoo, are you listening? I asked you a very important question. Do you think we should have a funfetti cake for my family dinner, or for my actual birthday dinner, you know on the actual day I was born? You’ve got to be there for that, too. We’re having lobster rolls flown in from Maine, I think. Well, at least that’s what I told Daddy I wanted…”

“Funfetti cake for your actual birthday dinner,” Anna said on autopilot. “Vanilla ice cream on the side.” She was barely listening, because she was now fantasizing that the motorcyclist she had seen earlier was Vronsky, and that he’d ridden all the way in from the city to see her. He was turning in the direction of Staugas Farms; she had seen so in her rearview mirror as she drove away from him. Wouldn’t that have been so lovely? If he had come to see her?

“Annie! Annie!” Eleanor snapped her fingers. “Are you even listening to me?”

Yes, Eleanor, unfortunately, I am.…

XVIII

Dustin was surprised when Steven had texted that he should bring his brother over for their tutoring session. He had tried to reschedule their session for the following day since he had plans to spend the afternoon with his brother, but Steven said it was imperative that he see Dustin today, so he and Nicholas came over.

When Nicholas walked into Steven’s apartment, he whistled at the fancy digs, which embarrassed Dustin, even though Steven didn’t seem to notice. Steven suggested that Nicholas play his PS4 while they did their schoolwork, directing him to a shipment of advance copies of new games that wouldn’t come out until next year. Steven’s dad was tight with one of the head honchos at Sony’s gaming division, so these boxes would arrive every few months with the latest video games.

Just another perk of the superrich, Dustin thought to himself, whereas his brother Nicholas had to comment out loud about it: “No shade, but you one-percenters got some sick-ass perks.”

Steven nodded and agreed. “Hells yeah we do.” (Comments like this should have made Steven an asshole, yet somehow they came across as charming, which Dustin found to be both disturbing and fascinating.)