At least six assistants tripped over themselves trying to help. Janey was down the steps and out on the sidewalk in two minutes, Dolly and Bah-Bah next to her. Not a cab nor a car was in sight. “Well, guys,” Janey said as she reached in her purse for her cell phone. “I’ll have to call a car service.” Janey’s newfound sense of empowerment continued its streak. “I have two very important passengers,” she declared to the car service. “I’d like a limo. Make it a stretch!”

78

Back at the club, there was a flurry of activity. Stanley had his trusty video camera out, following the staff and student butlers around as they spit and polished, placed fresh flowers around the first-floor rooms where the party would be held, prepared food in the kitchen, and set up buffet tables. The whole downstairs area of the club had been cleaned and shined. Clara had worked like a dog all day long and was exhausted.

“Clara,” Thomas said. “Why don’t you stay for the party tonight?”

“You mean to work?” she asked incredulously.

“No, I mean to have a good time.”

“That’s different,” she said.

“Do you have anything to wear?”

“I keep a dress and a nice pair of shoes in my locker because sometimes my sister gets half-price tickets for the theater at the last minute, and I always want to be prepared, just in case—”

“Very good,” Thomas said, cutting her off. “If you’d like to take a nap, you can go into my apartment and lie down on the couch.”

“Are you feeling all right?” Clara asked, suspiciously.

“More than all right,” Thomas shot back. “I’ve decided that if we’re going down, we may as well enjoy our last moments.”

Clara looked thoughtful. “It’s kind of like one of those movies where you die and then you come back to life and enjoy things more.”

“Something like that.” Thomas stared out the front window of the club. “Oh my God,” he said.

Clara followed his gaze. “The sheep are getting out of a stretch limo with Janey!”

“Now you see why I fell in love with her,” Thomas said softly.

“Well, if you love her, you’d better go help her drag them in here.”

Stanley appeared behind them. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Nat and Wendy’s sheep are back,” Thomas said as he hurried outside.

“I love this!” Stanley cried, capturing on film the limo and the sheep being carried over the threshold of the club. “I’m sure I’ll be able to use this in my piece.”

Thomas and Janey carried the sheep back into the parlor, Stanley’s camera following their every move. “Thomas, if these sheep are so important, we should do something dramatic with them,” he suggested. “It’d be good for my piece.”

“What should we do?” Thomas asked. “I was going to put them in front of the fireplace.”