I couldn’t look at the price tags on the clothes the girls were buying. I’d looked at one of them earlier in the day and had nearly fainted when I’d seen the number of zeros. Neither Cress nor Anna seemed bothered they were spending more in a day than I had in my entire life. And the twins were just as bad.
The boys had disappeared into the men’s department when we’d arrived at the expensive department store with plans to buy outfits for the night. I hadn’t bought anything yet. I couldn’t justify it when I knew I had perfectly good clothes packed in my duffel bag back at Cress’s place, all of which had been selected by Matthew’s stylist in New York.
“How are you getting on?” someone whispered in my ear.
I gasped and spun to find Wes grinning down at me. My hand was pressed against my chest as I scowled at him. “Wes, you scared me. You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”
He chuckled. “I was hardly sneaking. I can’t help that your head was in the clouds.”
“My head wasn’t in the clouds,” I responded instinctively, but when I thought about it, he was right. My thoughts had been somewhere else all day. I was still reeling from everything my father had told me the previous night, and no amount of shopping was going to take my mind off that.
“Where was it then?” Wes asked.
“I was trying to figure out if Anna and Cress plan to shop all day.”
He laughed. “I don’t think that’s much of a mystery. I’d say the answer to that question is a definite yes.”
‘Well, that’s not the answer I was hoping for.” I’d enjoyed shopping for the first couple of hours, but we hadn’t even stopped for lunch yet, and I was growing tired quickly. The girls were both in the fitting rooms at the moment and showed no signs of slowing down.
“That’s actually why I came to find you,” Wes continued. “I was thinking we should make a run for it.”
I perked up a little. “Were you just?”
“Uh-huh. Sawyer could be lost in the men’s department for hours, and I happen to know that a certain library you were interested in visiting isn’t far from here…”
“Really?” I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.
“Yep. And now I’ve seen your eyes light up like that, we haven’t got a choice but to go.”
I glanced over my shoulder at the fitting rooms. “I should probably tell Cress and Anna we’re going.”
Wes grabbed my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction. “And let them rope us into more shopping? I don’t think so. We can text them once we’re out of the store.”
Wes didn’t let go of my hand as we made our way to the exit. As we approach the wide glass doors, Wes broke out into a jog. “We’re almost to freedom,” he cried, and I laughed as he pulled me along.
One of the store employees shot us a hard look as we burst out through the front doors, and I gasped for breath amid my laughter as we finally came to a stop.
“I thought you said they wouldn’t mind if we left?”
Wes lifted one shoulder. “It was far more fun to leave that way.”
I shook my head. “Seriously, do you think the girls will mind?”
“Nah, they’ll just buy more clothes to make themselves feel better.”
“Yeah, probably.” I grinned. “What about Sawyer?”
“I already told him I was done with shopping, and if he sees something I might like, he’s going to get it for me.”
“And he was cool with that?”
“Totally cool. He secretly loves shopping. He almost likes it as much as Cress and Anna.”
“I guess being identical twins means it’s easy to shop for you too.”
He nodded. “One of the benefits of sharing a face.”
Once we’d recovered from our daring escape, we started in the direction of the library. The sidewalk was bustling with people, and I had to keep reminding myself to watch where I was going. It was easy to get distracted as I peered up at the huge buildings that towered high above us. This weekend was the first time I’d encountered skyscrapers in real life before.
“You’re spacing out again,” Wes said.
I smiled and tore my gaze from the sky to look at him. “Just taking it all in. I love how busy it is here. There are so many cars and people. Growing up, I couldn’t walk ten feet through town without seeing someone I knew. Here I feel like you’d be lucky to bump into a single familiar face.”
Wes looked around us like he was seeing the city through my eyes. “I think you’d be surprised. It’s a big city, but the same people always seem to go to the same places, so it can sometimes feel way too small. Still, I can’t really imagine living somewhere you know everyone.”
“I could never imagine living somewhere you didn’t. But, coming here, I get it. There’s a kind of freedom that comes with walking down the street and not knowing a soul you share the sidewalk with.”
“Just being one of the masses,” Wes agreed. “It is kind of freeing.”
“Have you always lived in New York?”
“Always. Though I’ve spent a lot less time here since starting high school. Still, it’s home.”
“And you love it?”
“It’s a hard place not to love.”
I’d only been here a couple of days, and already I was growing to love the hustle and bustle of the city. I loved the way the skyline lit up at night and the fast pace that thrummed through the city like an ever-present heartbeat. It was unashamedly loud and chaotic, and yet I found peace in that. Plus, the bagels didn’t hurt. Sawyer and Wes had come to Cress’s house far too early this morning and dragged us out of bed to go to their favorite bagel place. I hadn’t enjoyed the rude awakening, nor the fact I’d still been wearing my Winne the Pooh pajamas when the twins had arrived, but the bagel had been totally worth it. I’d come all the way to New York just to eat another.
“So, how was dinner with your father,” Wes asked.
I didn’t know how to answer. Where did I even begin? I’d been given so much new information, and I wasn’t sure how much of it I could tell Wes even if I wanted to. I decided to keep my response simple.
“It was good. I feel like we got to know each other a bit better.”
“Did you get all the answers you were looking for.”
“Yeah, most of them, I think.” It was somewhat true. A lot of my questions had been answered, but there was no way to tell if I had heard every part of the story yet.
“What about Noah?” Wes continued. “Did you ask why he was at your dad’s office?”
“He just said it must have been a coincidence.”
“Yeah, he could have been there for another reason.”
“Maybe,” I agreed, but I wasn’t sure if either of us were completely convinced. I quickly moved to change the subject. “How far is the library?”
“Not far.” Wes started smiling. “It’s right there.”
I followed Wes’s gaze across the street to the gorgeous stone building up ahead. It was grand and majestic with tall pillars, graceful arches, and intricate statues carved into the façade. There was even a set of stone lions sitting proudly out front, guarding the entrance.
“Come on.” Wes tugged me toward the building, up the stairs, and through the front doors. We were greeted by an impressive foyer with lofty ceilings, sweeping staircases, and elegant chandeliers. The gray stone walls reminded me more of a vast castle than a cozy library. I couldn’t even begin to compare it to my local public library back home.
Wes guided us through the building, showing me gorgeous rooms that were filled with so much beauty and history they almost brought tears to my eyes. It was the Rose Main Reading Room that really took my breath away though. Shelves lined with books surrounded the reading space, but the beautiful murals painted on the ceiling and the chandeliers that hung above the room made it truly special. A part of me wished I had brought my laptop so I could spend just a few minutes working in such a special place.
“Come on,” Wes murmured. “There’s more.”
I slowly followed him from the room, disappointed to be leaving it behind so soon.
“What are you showing me now?”
“You’ll see.”
He led me to a children’s section at the back of the building and stopped when he reached a glass case. I frowned at him before I peered inside. I was confused at first but my heart warmed when I saw the original Winnie-the-Pooh toys on display. The toys looked old and worn, but it was clear they were just well loved.
“After catching sight of your Pooh bear pajamas this morning, I thought you might like to see them,” he said.
My cheeks warmed at the memory. I’d changed as soon as Wes and Sawyer had arrived at Cress’s this morning but not before they’d both seen and commented on my PJs.
“I thought we agreed we weren’t going to talk about my pajamas ever again.”
“You say that like I can control Sawyer. And the pajamas were cute.”
“Maybe for a five-year-old,” I grumbled.
“Well, I liked them.”
I definitely didn’t want Wes continuing to visualize me in my tattered pajamas, so I quickly moved on. “How did you know this display was here?”
“I came here a few times as a kid and I liked visiting the toys,” he explained. “My mom would always read us Winnie-the-Pooh before bed when I was little. Eeyore was my favorite, and Sawyer was, of course, a Tigger fan. There was a time when he couldn’t go a day without saying ‘Don’t be ridick-orous’ or insisting he had a lot of bouncing to do.”
It was all too easy to imagine Sawyer bounding around the house like Tigger. “My mom used to read the stories to me too. I always liked Pooh because we both loved honey so much.”
Wes laughed, and I turned back to focus on the toys.
“It’s kind of nice seeing them in real life, isn’t it?” I said. “To be in the presence of something that inspired such beautiful stories and touched so many lives.” Wes and I grew up in such different homes, and yet we were connected through the books that had been read to us. Even Noah had recalled a quote from the stories the other night. There was something almost magical in that. I couldn’t help but wonder if Noah had come here before and admired the toys too.
“Yeah, it is,” Wes agreed. He shared a soft smile with me, and my heart did a small flip in response.
My phone started ringing, interrupting our moment, and I was somewhat glad for the distraction as I pulled it from my pocket.
Cress’s name lit up the screen, and I glanced up at Wes. “I think the girls have finally noticed we’re gone.”
He grinned brightly. “Took them long enough.”
I laughed and walked out into the stairwell as I answered the phone.
“Where are you?” Cress asked.
I put her on speakerphone so Wes could hear too. “Wes and I may have called mutiny and abandoned ship.”
“Well, that’s not cool. I want to get off the ship too. Even I can’t keep up with Anna’s shopping today.”
“Hey!” Anna complained in the background.
“Where are you guys?” Cress asked. “We’ll come meet you.”
“We’re at the library.”
“The library? What on earth are you doing there?”
“I needed to borrow a book.”
“Really?”
“No.” I laughed. “I just wanted to see it, and it was close by. We’re just about to leave though so we can meet you guys somewhere else.”
Wes reached out a hand and beckoned for me to pass him my phone. I handed it over to him.
“I have an idea of what we can do,” he said. “Go find my brother, and I’ll text you guys where to meet us.”
“Okay, catch you soon.”
Wes hung up the phone and passed it back to me.
“So, what are we doing then?” I asked.
He gave me a cryptic smile in response. “It’s a surprise, but I think you’ll like it.”
