Page 66 of Mission: Possible

"Right. I thought maybe she was a bit old-fashioned to quit just because she got married but she said no, that wasn't it at all. She said she just wanted a change," volunteered Brian. He frowned as he stared at me "I don’t remember you from the wedding…"

"I’m a new friend. Did Sophie work here very long?"

"A few months. Mostly in the gift shop but she gave tours in her spare time too. She knew so much about history and art. Truthfully, her talents were wasted in the gift shop but there isn't much chance of a promotion here. I said she could give talks along with the tours, but she said she was too shy for that." Brian shook his head. "I know Laeticia was pushing her to give a few talks. She thought Sophie would be a great asset and I agree."

"Laeticia? Is she the manager?"

"Yes, that's right."

"What did Laeticia want Sophie to give talks on?"

"Sophie knew a lot about art history. Ask her anything about the pre-Raphaelites or post-modernism and she could go on for hours. As for her knowledge about American art, well, Sophie was an encyclopedia! I told her she should apply for a job at one of the big museums in Boston but she always laughed. I really meant it though. She could have gone to any university and aced the classes but she said she was too old for that now, which was crazy because she's like, not that old at all! What should I write?"

"About?" I asked, frowning.

"On her card." Brian waited, his pen poised.

"Anything you like," I told him. "I'm sure she'll be pleased by whatever you write."

"Okay..." Brian tapped the pen against the desk, his eyes drifting off into a faraway look.

"It sounds like you two were good friends?"

Brian tilted his head from one side to the other. "We didn't really hang out beyond work but yeah, we got on pretty well. She's a sweetheart."

"You probably met her brother? Zach?"

Brian glanced up at me, pausing in his written message. "He came by a couple times," he said, looking down again as he resumed writing.

"I only met him a couple of days ago," I continued. "Not the friendliest guy."

"You can say that again." Brian folded the card and slipped it back into the paper bag before pushing it over to me. "I can't imagine how the same DNA could be divided so differently between two people. He always seemed pissed and she was always so sunny. He was rude and she was sweet. She always made an excuse for him, but I mean, every single time? C'mon, girl!"

"I'm sure," I said, nodding along. "He's a real character."

"That's a nice way of putting it. I thought Sophie was scared of him. Hey, how is Austen doing? He must be so worried," Brian asked before I could pick up on his previous comment.

"He spends most of his time at the hospital."

"Please tell him I asked about him. We were all delighted when Sophie met him. We didn't even know what a big deal he was until Laeticia told us he donated a huge sum to the museum last year."

"We?"

"All of us here. Sophie seemed surprised too when it came up in conversation but maybe it embarrassed her."

"They met at the theater, right?"

Brian cocked his head to one side. "I think so. Sophie is a big theater fan. Austen took her all the way to New York once just to attend opening night of a new Broadway show. She said they stayed in a fancy hotel and rode in a horse-drawn carriage through the park. Isn't that romantic?"

"Very," I agreed, noticing a father and his two young children joining the queue, and realizing I was holding them up. "Do you know where I can find Melinda or Laeticia?"

"Melinda is probably at the front desk. Laeticia will be in her office. I'm sure Melinda will take you there if you tell her about the get well card. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"Lexi," I said. "It was so nice meeting you, Brian."

"And you too! Please tell Austen I'd like to visit sometime."

I agreed I would and went in search of Lily. I found her perusing a selection of scarves. "I was trying to decide whether to get one of these for my mom's birthday until I realized I can't remember her new address," she said as she stroked the material. "I'll email my dad and maybe come back later."