“Ain’t ever gonna be enough as far as I’m concerned.” Gus turned in his seat, and glancing in the rearview mirror, he saw Bennett giving him the evil eye. Gus shrugged. “Not ever.”

Bennett knew it was pointless to argue, and she gazed out the window as she took a sip of coffee.

“So, am I taking you back to the gallery, or you want I should take you home?”

“The gallery, please. I still have some things to do.”

“You got it, boss.”

***

Shortly after six the next morning, Bennett let herself into the brownstone. The building was old, and she doubted it would ever truly lose its musty smell, but like an old friend, it gave her comfort. She climbed the stairs, and unlocking her door, she flicked on a light as she entered. Setting the pie and a stack of newspapers on a nearby table, she hung up her coat and then carried her breakfast to the galley kitchen. Bennett perused her K-cup collection, and choosing the darkest of roasts, she dropped one into the machine before opening the fridge. “Anybody hungry?” she called out.

An all-too-familiar meow came from down the hall, and a few seconds later, Bennett’s pitch-black cat was weaving himself in and out of her legs.

“Good morning, Xi.”

Xi answered with another meow, vocalizing his hunger until Bennett put the small food bowl on the floor. “Here you go, my friend.”

While Xi slurped up his tuna pâté, Bennett made her way to the powder room down the hall from the kitchen. She cleaned the litter box and swept up a few errant pieces of the clay particles scattered on the tile floor, and after washing her hands, Bennett went into her bedroom. She kicked off her shoes, stripped out of her clothes, and within a few minutes, Bennett was welcoming the feel of the hot water washing over her. It was yet another convenience she appreciated. The baths from buckets, streams, and rivers had always been chilly, and whenever soap was available, the lye and animal fat had been harsh against her skin. Squeezing out a large dollop of body wash smelling of cedar and musk, Bennett took a long, leisurely shower, only exiting once her skin had pruned.

Bennett returned to her bedroom wearing nothing but a smile. After donning a pair of pewter gray silk pajamas, she left the room, only to pull up short two steps later when she was assaulted by a not-so-pleasant odor wafting up the hallway. “Must you always do that after I clean the box?”

As if on cue, Xi pranced out of the powder room and gave Bennett a cursory you-are-my-servant glimpse before he scampered away.

“Right. I’ll take that as a yes.”