“You’re perceptive, as always,” Bennett said, opening her phone. “I’m going to have Gus pick me up. I’m not sure how long I’ll be, so once you finish with the auction, just lock up and head out. Okay?”

“Yeah, but please be careful. From what Dad told me, Napoleon’s a pretty nasty character. It sounds like he doesn’t like you very much.”

“The feeling’s mutual. Believe me.”

***

“So where to tonight, boss,” Gus said, looking over his shoulder as Bennett got into the car.

“To here,” Bennett said, handing Gus a piece of paper.

Gus prided himself on never using GPS, except Concord wasn’t a place he’d driven through often. He tapped on the screen of the car’s GPS, entering the information as written, and a minute later, he was pulling away from the curb.

Gus glanced in the rearview mirror a few times before he spoke. “Can we talk?”

Bennett changed her focus from looking out the window to looking at the back of Gus’s head. “Of course. What’s up?”

“Um…the other day Cath and I got an invitation in the mail from Mr. Lumley. It’s for a party on New Year’s Eve?”

“Max sent you an invitation?”

“Yeah, is that bad?”

A grin played at Bennett’s mouth. “No, it’s quite the opposite. It’s his way of saying he’s accepted my decision to make you a guardian, and he’s bringing you into the fold.”

“So we should go?”

“Yes. I think you and Cathleen would have a good time. And not to sound pretentious, it is rather a privilege.”

“And what about Fallon?” Gus said, looking in the mirror again.

“Fallon?”

“Did she tell you she wants to be a guardian?”

“Well, she mentioned it that night on your porch. I didn’t dissuade her from the idea, but I told her I wouldn't allow it until she gets an education. And if memory serves, I made it clear it would never happen without you and Cathleen giving her permission. Why?”

“There was a note included with the invitation saying that if we had children seventeen or older who wanted to work the party as servers, they needed to reach out with an email. Since the girls’ birthday is next week, they make the cut, and it sounds like they want to do it. Kenna sees only dollar signs, but I think Fallon is looking at it as something more.”

“Oh, I see.”

“So is it something more, or is Fallon just seeing what she wants to see?”