I study her, really examine each of her movements and words. The result forms a knot of unease in the pit of my stomach. “Gracie, where did you get the extra money?” “I’m twenty-seven, Luisa, and I still live with my parents. Your dad was able to help you when you left home. We don’t all have parents who can afford to do something like that. If I didn’t find a way myself, I’d never escape Tuxedo Park and make a life of my own.” Her defensiveness surprises me and solidifies my suspicion that something big has changed since we last talked about her plans. This is no adjustment in her budgeting plans. She’s come up with new money somehow, and she’s embarrassed to tell me the source. An image of her talking to Aldo flashes in my mind. No. She wouldn’t … couldn’t have. They were only together f
