“You don’t have to worry about me,” I reply. “I’m a pro at faking it, and let me be the first to tell you, that combo is disgusting.”

“I was undercover as an Influencer last year, and people were drinking all sorts of combinations.” He frowns.

“Yeah, well, I lived in the real world more recently than you, and trust me, nobody wants to drink that. Let me back there.”

He steps aside. “Be my guest.”

Crouching behind the bar, I study the possibilities, blowing dust off the bottles. Some of the labels are so faded they look like they’re from the Qing dynasty, too. Finally, I opt for switching the vermouth for some brown stuff that I think is bourbon.

“This isn’t what people will be drinking, either, but whatever. It’s the best I can do.” I shake the cocktail and pour it into the glasses. I sample the drink and wrinkle my nose. “It’s not so bad…”

He takes a big sip of his. “I like it. You’re officially our bartender.”

“That’s the second-nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Yeah? Well, don’t get used to it. In here we can be ourselves, but out there…” He gestures to the woods. “We keep our game faces on.”

“Agreed.” I clink my glass against his. Maybe this will be fun.

Cocktail in hand, he links arms with me, and we stroll out of the living room into the dining room.

“We used to have big dinners here every night when we were kids,” Garrett says, gesturing with his glass to a long rectangular table with seating for ten. “I don’t know if that will ever happen again, now that my brothers and sister are scattered in the field. I miss those days.”

He seems serious for once.

“Where are they?” I ask.

“I don’t know. Their work is top secret, and they can’t risk coming back here that often. The last time I talked to my sister, she said they leave coded notes in safe houses for one another, but they barely ever see one another in person.”

“You’ll all be here together again someday, I’m sure of it,” I say. Picturing him as a little kid joking with his siblings causes a pang in my chest. My childhood was so isolated it’s the kind of family I dreamed of, the life I’d only seen in movies.

“I’m not.” His smile is sad, but he changes the subject. “You haven’t answered any of my questions, you know.”

“You haven’t asked any.”

“I realize that. That was my segue,” he says. “What’s the most important thing for me to know about you?”