Page 66 of Memories of the Lost

“I really do admire you,” she said.

She was so young, so crestfallen, that it broke his heart. “He’s using you to get to me, but it’s not your fault. Send me your influencer name, and I’ll mention you.”

“Would you? That would be so great.”

He nodded. “It’s all good.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

By the time Liam arrived at her apartment, the sun had come out. The day was so mild and beautiful that Tillie jettisoned her previous plans, and they took a train to the Staten Island Ferry. “This is one of the best views in the city,” she promised.

He held her hand. “I’m just glad to be with you.”

They rode outside on the ferry, enjoying the sunshine and the retreat of Lower Manhattan. The wind was soft, the setting sun lighting the water afire. He was quiet, taking in the view. Tillie sat next to him, pressing the sense of his form into her memory, already missing him. It felt foolish to let herself get so caught up in it. To try to be normal, she asked lightly, “What’s your next city?”

“London,” he said. “We’ve gone there a few times, and the crowds are really quite good.”

“Will you see your friends? Or were they cousins?”

He leaned into her. “You remembered.”

She smiled.

“Yeah. I’ll spend a few days with my aunt. Technically, she’s my mom’s best friend, but I call her my aunt. Then we move on to ...” He shrugged. “I don’t even know where. Krish will tell me.”

A dark expression crossed his face.

“Is everything okay?” Tillie asked.

“No. I had a situation with Krish today that made me wonder what’s happening. He’s overstepping in ways that I need to get under control.” As if he regretted the harshness of this, he softened. “We’ve been mates since we were eleven.”

“And?”

“He has a real gift for business, for all the parts that I don’t want to deal with. He found the app designer, supervised the process, and got it all up and running.” He looked down at their arms pressed together on the railing. “It’s been good, really. I’m just not sure right now whether it’s his vision or mine.”

“That seems like a tough thing to sort out.”

“I’m worried that the work might lose its center, that it’s becoming more about personality and money than trying to help others find calm and joy.”

“‘In a troubled world,’” she quoted. “I looked up your website.”

He half smiled. “That’s Krish at his best.”

“He seems very serious about protecting you and your image.”

“No doubt.” He pressed his lips together. “But you know that thing about power corrupting? I don’t want to fall into that trap.”

“Fair,” Tillie replied. “I can see that might be a danger. Especially with your charisma.”

“Am I charismatic?” he asked, leaning into her.

“You know you are. An aura the size of California.”

“Thank you.” He sighed. “Enough about my first-world troubles. How’d your day go?”

Tillie watched the city retreating. “I did some good work, and then I made some calls to see if I could find anyone who could give me any more information about my mother.”

“Did you?”