The piano player himself was wearing a top hat and a white tuxedo, with a red carnation tucked into the top button of his jacket. But when Tess looked at him closely, she realized it was the same man she’d met wearing the bowler hat in the lobby. Although she didn’t see any sign of the white terrier Princess around. He was accompanied by a singer, a very beautiful black woman with a slight French accent singing in a deep, sultry voice, songs about love and loss, to the strangely upbeat piano arrangements of what seemed to be twenties dance tunes. There were waiters in white long-sleeved shirts and red bowties and curiously formal black pants.

“Definitely a costume party,” Max whispered to Tess, who wasn’t sure that was what it was, at all.

Tess looked down at what she was wearing. She was glad she’d decided to dress for dinner out with Aunt Evie. She was wearing a white dress with a little bit of black smocking up at the top, which made it seem fancier than it was, as it was just a cotton dress with slight elaborate stitching at the top, empire, and not too short, just above the knee. It was cold out, so she’d put on white stockings and then because she felt like it, even though it probably wasn’t weather appropriate, she put on a pair of black patent leather Mary Janes that looked like some of the dress shoes the gentleman guests were wearing, so she sort of felt as if she fit in.

Tess was glad Max had decided to wear khakis instead of jeans and a pale blue shirt, even though he didn’t match anyone at the party. She decided if anyone asked what he was dressed as, she would jump in and say, “Safari.” That would be an answer, for sure.

It felt as if it had been so long ago that they’d gone out for Indian food with Aunt Evie, even though it couldn’t have been more than an hour ago. There was something about that elevator ride that felt as if time had elongated, stretched and shrunk at the same time. It was just an elevator ride but when the doors opened, it felt like they were in a different time and place, for sure, light years away or another century. She was letting her imagination run away with itself again. It was just a costume party.