Page 107 of Joey

“Yeah,” Huck says, wiping a hand across his brow. It’s hot out here and we’re all dressed up. “I’m not gonna lie, this… I don’t know. This was not really what I was expecting.”

I glance around, taking it all in. The tall, mature forest surrounding the mansion and the grounds like a legion of soldiers. The many, perfectly planned gardens and pathways leading through them. The house, of course. Stately and imposing, but not in an off-putting way.

“Look,” I say. “There’s stairs over there. And they’re covered. Wanna go that way? At least we’ll be out of the sun until we get back down to the bottom level.”

They both agree and we head to the covered stairs. They’re wooden and every two flights there’s a… rest area, for lack of a better word. With a bench seat in case you get tired or just want to stop and look around. Something you’d see leading down to a boat dock on a lake. Something that says a lot of thought and care went into the design.

I’m starting to think that everything about this place was well thought out. The guards at the front seemed excessive, but if you had put all that thought into the house, and the grounds, and the woods, and the driveway, wouldn’t you put just as much thought into making sure it was secure?

And that guard. Even he displayed thoughtfulness when he leaned in and said hello. Granted, none of us knew what to do with that gesture at the time. But if he waves goodbye when we leave, I think I’ll wave back.

The stairs lead to a grassy lawn criss-crossed with pea-pebbled paths and hundreds of perfectly manicured rose bushes.

The scent alone is to die for.

We hear laughing off to our right and when I look over there’s a small white gazebo filled with middle-aged women having tea. This is no picnic. I’m talking white tablecloth and fine china. And they are all wearing pastel-colored dresses with hats, leaning forward towards the center of the table like they are telling secrets.

Huck, and Wald, and I exchange a look, but continue walking and soon we’re coming upon the house again.

I look up at it. Wondering how many people live here. Wondering what it’s like to have a life like this. Wondering if Maisy is happy.

And then I see her.

Up in a window on the third floor of the mansion.

At least I think it’s her. I guess it could be anyone. There could be dozens of little girls living here.

But somehow I know it is her.

She waves at me.

I raise my hand and wave back, smiling and feeling a sudden surge of joy. Because this place, these people… it’s… it’s something romanticized. Maybe even something fictionalized. Or something right out of that movie A Room with a View.

Except there are armed guards at the gate.

But this is real. This house, these gardens, those giggling girls, and those gossiping ladies.

It’s all real.

And this is the place that Maisy Kane calls home.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN - JOEY

Conner is silent after Wald, Huck, and Brooke leave. He stares at me for a moment. Possibly a moment too long.

“What?” I finally ask, breaking the silence.

“I’m trying to figure you out,” he says.

“Well, that makes two of us.”

“Oh. Are you trying to figure me out? Or trying to figure you out?”

I crack a smile for two reasons. One, it didn’t seem facetious. And two—“Both,” I say.

Conner nods. Then takes a deep breath and says, “She’s a very sweet little girl.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I say.