Finn points at a family just inside the door, a mother and father and two kids playing with some puppets stuck on a wooden stand. The father sticks his hand in a green frog puppet and starts singing “The Rainbow Connection” in a pretty convincing Kermit the Frog voice as the kids collapse into giggles. “Like them,” she says. “Normal. Having fun.”

Nicki shakes her head. “It’s all a lie,” she says. “The kids are assholes. The parents probably haven’t had sex in five years.”

“Okay, fine,” says Finn, turning to look at two twenty-something girls next door, both blond and robust and Nordic, reading the menu for Little Angie’s Cantina. “What about them?”

“Oh, they post really bitchy comments on each other’s Instagram photos. Now can we please fucking focus?” She walks away without checking to see if Finn is following her.

Finn continues to watch the two girls, mesmerized.

“I don’t see anything on here that’s gluten-free,” one girl says. “Let’s go to the Korean place inside.”

“I can’t do Korean,” the second girl says. “They have nothing vegan.”

“You’re not vegan,” Gluten-Free says. “You’re just trying to impress that TV guy.”

“Whatever,” the second girl says. “I’ve been vegan for, like, two months now.”

“I guess the milk in those twenty White Russians you drank the other night was vegan milk then, was it?” Gluten-Free says, poking her in the arm. “All-natural vegan milk at the Radisson hotel bar.”

“You’re just jealous because Adam didn’t invite you to come out on his boat.”

Adam. “Excuse me,” Finn says. “Are you guys talking about Adam Pelley? The television host?”

Pseudo-Vegan looks at her scathingly. “He’s a marine biologist,” she says. “He only does the TV stuff because he has to. For educational purposes.”

“Of course,” says Finn. “I’m sure he’s very altruistic.”

“That sounded sarcastic,” Gluten-Free says.

“Why are you talking to us, anyway?” Pseudo-Vegan says.

“And where are your shoes?”

Finn curls her bare toes against the pavement. “I’m just trying to find Adam Pelley,” she says.

“I bet,” says Gluten-Free. She turns to the other one. “I totally feel like I saw her the other night at the Radisson, staking out the place.”

“Well, sure, I was there,” says Finn. “He and I are actually friends. We went to, uh, marine biology school together.”

The girls glance at each other, trying to figure out whether to believe her. In the end Finn supposes they don’t see why she would have any reason to lie. “That’s cool,” Gluten-Free says. “He’s a super-awesome guy.”

“Are you going to be in the documentary?” Pseudo-Vegan asks.

“I was going to be,” Finn says, “but I lost the directions to where they’re shooting.” She tries to make her best “oh well” face, dropping her gaze, scuffing her toe against the ground.