“I like what she’s been doing for the group. She’s been honest with me, but I don’t know if I’ve seen that glimmer of light.”

Maybe I had. When Ashley had seen Presley’s responses on the train.

“I don’t know if I’d call it light.”

“I don’t either. But… I’m imagining what you’re saying. I’ll keep it in mind. I’ll keep an open mind.”

“Please,” Sveta said. “And we’re almost there. The place might be a little messy, to warn you.”

“Crystal and I are two people crammed into an apartment with room for one person, I don’t think it’s a problem,” I said. I withheld the part where Crystal was a bit of a pig.

The apartment building was one among many, in a building with a post office built into one corner of the ground floor. With the small post office taking up a quarter of the ground floor, the remaining three quarters were divided into two spaces, it seemed. The hallway was open-air, more tunnel than hall, and there were windows on both sides, looking into both the tunnel and a small, narrow yard. I could see children’s toys in the yard.

Sveta went to the door, and fished for a key on a lanyard that she wore around her neck.

“Ground floor. Convenient.”

“Yeah. Weld worries sometimes that if he was on an upstairs floor, if it was wooden floors, he’d cause too much wear and tear and then plunge through.”

Sveta opened the door. “I’m home. I brought Victoria.”

“Hey!” Weld stepped into the kitchen. He wore a black t-shirt in a tougher material, jeans, and the same rugged sandals I’d seen before. A set of headphones were hanging from his neck.

Sveta went straight to him, and he had to catch her so she wouldn’t crash into him. She kissed him, then planted another kiss on his cheek when he turned his focus to me, smiling.

“Victoria. It’s so great to see you.”

“Sorry to drop in, and I’m also sorry I’ll be distracted tonight. I hope you don’t mind if I get my laptop out at some point. We have stuff to coordinate and figure out.”

“That’s fine. I’d love to talk shop,” he said. “Things have been weird with my team lately. The gears of bureaucracy grind slowly. Just one thing.”

“One thing?”

“Don’t say sorry. I get enough of them from her.”

“Don’t say that!” Sveta said, scandalized.

“Three unnecessary apologies before breakfast, another two after breakfast, before she’s out the front door. At least one in a text message.”

“I’m not that bad.”

Weld smiled, then planted a kiss on the side of her head.