“No kidding,” I replied, as I stared at the sea of bodies swimming across the street and down the sidewalks. How could there be so many people in one place? It made me feel tiny, insignificant. I sank into my seat; the sight of a pristine ‘67 Chevy Impala was catching eyes, even in a city this frenetic. It made me nervous.

Riley made a right turn when the light changed, taking us away from the Port Authority. “Hey!” I said, twisting in my seat to watch the bus depot fade away. “Where are we—”

“We must wait until midnight,” he reminded me as we continued driving south.

“But… we still have to hang around, don’t we?”

“I will not risk losing you in the crowd,” he interrupted, and his tone was final. “We will return at midnight to reclaim the Grimoire. The cultists who stole your friend’s book do not know where Neil has hidden the Grimoire, nor would they know our purpose in coming here for it. There is no need for us to wait nearby until the appointed time.”

I didn’t really agree with him, but who was I to argue when it did make sense. And the thought that we were necessarily delayed in getting the Grimoire sent a warm feeling through my spine, straight down to my toes. As my brain caught up to my fuzzy butterfly-filled stomach, I realized—

We had a whole day to spend in New York City.

Together.

“This is our ‘road trip,’ ” Riley said, and the use of ‘our’ made my heart skip a beat. “What shall we do first?”

Chapter Twelve: Cosmopolis

The sounds of clinking glass, the ringing of silverware and excited conversation surrounded us like a symphony. I sat upright, allowing it to wash over me and wishing the moment would never end.

“Andromeda—”

The voice that commanded my very soul reached my ears, drawing all of my attention to it. “You have barely consumed your cheesecake. Was it not as the waiter assured us it would be?” Riley’s face darkened at the thought that our server may have lied to us.

“Oh no, no, I just… look at it, Riley, it’s huge!” I protested, picking up my fork to poke at the giant slice of cheesecake before me. “I can barely eat another bite!”

It was hardly a surprise, considering the feast we had ordered. The appetizers of fruitwood smoked salmon with classic garniture and multi-grain bread, the jumbo lump crabcake served with smoked tomato piquillo aioli and salad. The main course of true Sardi’s classics: spinach cannelloni au gratin for me, steak tartar for Riley.

Oh, if only Bree could see me now, sitting in Sardi’s with the pre-theatre crowd. When we had first pulled up to the restaurant, I thought for sure getting a table would be impossible, but we were seated immediately upon Riley’s command.