“You could get her favorite dinner from the Thai place down the block and dance right here.”

“That’s true. I suppose we could, but I wanted to do something special for her.”

“My mom doesn’t like to go out when it’s crazy in the city. She says the crowds make her ragey.”

“That’s some really good info. Thanks for letting me know.”

“You want me to ask Pop if I can sleep over?”

Endlessly amused by her, he said, “Are you really only nine, or are you actually nineteen?”

“Mom says I’m an old soul.”

Grayson nearly choked on a mouthful of coffee. “I can definitely see why. And yes, if you think your Pop wouldn’t mind.”

“He won’t.” She finished her pancakes, took the pain pill he gave her and loaded her plate into the dishwasher before running off to get dressed while he finished his own breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen.

He poked his head into her room where she was sitting among her doll collection. “I’m going to grab a shower and then we can go, okay?”

“Yep.”

Before he showered, he called up the American Girl store on his phone to see what he was getting himself into. Clicking around on the site, he noticed the café, made a reservation for lunch and hoped she would like the surprise. One of the things he enjoyed the most about both Emma and Simone was they were easy to please—and fun to surprise.

When they were ready to go, Grayson helped her put on the sling over her coat. “How’s it feel?”

“Better than it did when I woke up. Mom says I have to go to the ortho… ortho…”

“Orthopedic doctor?”

“Yeah, that, on Tuesday.” She looked up at him. “Will it hurt?”

“Nah. They’ll look at the X-rays and see how it’s healing. Your mom is being thorough to make sure there’s no permanent damage. Everyone needs two working elbows.”

“I just want to know when I can ski again. That was so fun.”

Outside the apartment, Grayson hailed a cab.

“Cabs are too expensive,” Simone said. “We can take the subway.”

“I don’t get to spend much time here, and I want to see the sights. How about we make an exception this one time?”

“Okay.”

He held the door for her, and she went in ahead of him. She kept up a steady stream of chatter as they made their way uptown, pointing out various landmarks along the way, including the New York City Public Library, which was one of her favorite places to visit.

The American Girl store was mobbed with little girls bursting with excitement. His biggest fear was losing track of Simone in the crowd, so he kept his hand on her shoulder as she led him through a sea of pink frills and lifelike dolls and every conceivable accessory.