“People don’t change overnight, I don’t think,” Max said, thinking about how he and his brother were finding their way back to each other. Or hell, how they had fallen away from each other to begin with. Neither had been a smooth, linear process. “I don’t think it’s that useful to look at who he is now and ask what you saw in him. He must have had his redeeming qualities. You must have had some fun, once?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“Eventually, the bitterness will fade, and you’ll be able to look back with equanimity. He’ll be a colleague for whom you have some fondness, or at least a colleague for whom you hold no rancor. It will just take a little time.”

“Why are you so good at giving breakup advice? Have you ever actually had a girlfriend?”

“I have not.” He smirked. “I’m just smart.” He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her.

“A handkerchief! How old-world of you.” She blew her nose. “In the movies, you always see the guy giving the girl the hankie, but you never see what happens to it after it’s all snotty.”

“What happens is the girl keeps it.” A car pulled up in front of the building. “Ah, that’s my ride.” The driver emerged, and Max held up a finger to indicate that he was coming.

The door to the building opened, and a man with a suitcase came out.

“Oh!” Dani exclaimed. “Hi! Was everything okay with your stay?”

The man—the mime—rushed over and grinned and nodded.

“You don’t have to be out for another hour,” Dani said. “I had to meet someone here, but you don’t have to go yet.”

The man gestured to an imaginary watch, and then flung his arms out like a bird, or . . .

“You have a flight to catch?” Dani guessed. “Are you flying out of JFK?”

The man nodded yes with a degree of enthusiasm that seemed better suited for having been told he’d won the lottery.

Dani grinned and pointed at Max. “He can drive you.”

The mime became disproportionately excited, gestured his thanks to Max, and pointed at Dani and mimed counting stars in the sky—he counted to five and pointed at her again.

“I think I just got a five-star Airbnb rating,” she said laughingly.

Max waved at his driver. “We have a passenger.” He turned to the mime. “Could you give us a minute?” The mime performed an elaborate farewell routine, and Dani and Max were alone again.

“Max.” She turned to him. “I don’t want you to go!” She made a silly, self-deprecating face and grinned at him.