“Food for Thought,” he whispers urgently behind his hand.

I’m not quick enough doing whatever it was my dad envisioned me doing (tripping the guy? Flashing my tits?) to stop Mr. Mogul from passing by.

“There goes that plan,” Mom sighs.

“What was the plan?” Miles asks. “Kidnap him?”

I repeat his words before I can stop myself.

They glance at each other, apparently trying to assess whether or not I’m being sarcastic.

“Well, no, I just thought we could engage him for a moment and perhaps slip him our new business cards,” Dad replies slowly.

“Take a look. Tell us what you think,” Mom adds, unzipping her pleather fanny pack and procuring a fistful.

“Maybe Zoey can set one on his table,” Dad suggests.

“Or crawl underneath it and pop out during dessert,” Miles deadpans.

I snort but don’t have the guts to repeat it.

Mom slides the new business card over to me, a sly gleam in her eye. The card reads “Eco-Friendly Tourism. We curate a Zero-footprint trip, you get Peace of mind. And spirit!”

The copy editor in me begs to fix their sentence fragments and random capitalizations.

“You changed your business model again?” I ask. They are now travel agents, it appears.

“With the exception of the plane ride, it’s carbon-footprint–free,” Dad crows.

“Sounds great,” I say.

“Does it?” Miles asks.

“So,” Mom prompts, leaning in slightly. “Tell us about New York.”

“It’s the greatest city on earth, obviously,” Miles jumps in.

My eyes narrow and I wish I could mute him for a moment. I’d rather he not hear this part of the conversation, because if they’re genuinely asking, now’s my chance to get a little parental advice. I take a deep breath, ready to spill my guts about how lost and lonely I’ve been feeling. It’s not like Miles and I are going to hang out after this. It’s a one-shot deal, a spontaneous good deed on his part that won’t be repeated. Of course, anything he hears tonight could be used against me in the apartment hallway. But it might be worth it—after all, Mom and Dad have lived in six out of seven continents. They must have experience feeling disoriented or unsure of themselves.

“It’s a lot tougher than I expected.”

Dad nods, and says, “We were surprised to find out you’re not working for Marly anymore. From what Nana said, she really pulled the rug out from under you.”

I don’t bother to correct Mary’s name.

Mom makes a clucking sound and shakes her head. “Sending you across the country like that.”

“You know when we came here tonight, we had half a mind to ask if you’d like to join us on the next leg.”

I’m stunned. They want me to travel with them?