"Not bad for big brother." Moz held one of the small gizmos Neal got for his Woods visit.
"You're admiring government tech?"
"No, I-I'm, uh, I'm pitying it." Moz put it back on the table. "It's terribly unwieldy."
"I'll try not to let it weigh me down." Neal packed it in his bag. There was a knock on the door. "Will you get that?"
Mozzie glanced back at him several times before opening the door. He stared at Evan outside.
"Uh, Neal… code red."
"Evan," Neal greeted him. "Right on time for our pre-tutoring session. This is my associate…"
"Uh, Mr. Magwitch," Moz said at once.
"Yes," Neal nodded and smiled at Evan.
"Uh, we're gonna be acting as your benefactors," Moz tried and made the mood even more awkward.
"What exactly will you be giving me?"
"Well, Neal is more of a romantic, and I'm a Machiavellian puppet master, so what we're gonna be giving you is...game." Evan stared at Moz, not getting it. "To get the girl."
Evan sighed and looked at Neal.
"You told him about Chloe?"
"This tutoring session is basically a first date. You got to be prepared."
"It's not a first date. It's a tutoring session for 'A Tale of Two Cities.'"
Mozzie chuckled.
"Do you have any idea how many women I've wooed by using an apropos quote from Victorian literature?"
"Really?" Evan's eyes lit. "How many?"
Neal wanted to know that as well, but Mozzie changed the subject.
"Now, why are you wearing a cardigan and a sweater?"
"Um, I don't know. I just… I don't really know what to wear when I'm outside my school uniform."
"That's all right," Neal assured him. "Let's focus more on how you wear it, all right?" He took Evan's shoulder bag. "Lose the cardigan/sweater combo."
Evan pulled them both off in one move.
"And, for Holden Caulfield's sake," Mozzie said when he saw the result, "will you unbutton the shirt?"
"Yeah, just loosen it up," Neal said. "You need an air of mystery
about you, okay? Smile like you got your own thing going on. She'll wonder what it is."
"Yeah, and hair gel." Mozzie handed him a jar of it. "I've heard great things."
Neal watched the improved look of Evan.
"I think our work here is done."
"Carpe diem, Evan," Moz added. "Carpe diem."
Evan did not seem convinced.
"Relax. We'll talk more on the way there."
They were let inside by one of Wood's household goons who showed them into the living room and the man himself.
"Mr. Woods, hi. I'm Mr. Cooper," Neal introduced himself, shaking Wood's hand. "And this is Evan Leary. We're here for Chloe's tutoring session."
"You're the teacher?" Woods asked, in utter shock it seamed.
"Yeah."
"My daughter didn't describe you as being so, uh..."
"So bookish?" Neal suggested.
"So symmetrical." That was a new one. Wood glanced at Evan. "Don't know what to make of you. Let's talk house rules." He gestured for them to follow. They walked into a room with a table and bookshelves.
"You'll stay in this room. No wandering. You've got one hour. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Dad?" Chloe said, turning up at the other end of the room. "I think you can go now."
"We're talking lesson plans."
"Hey, Chloe," Evan tried.
"Hey." Chloe focused on the phone.
"Sounds like my dinner guests have arrived," Woods said. "I'll leave you to your studies. That means no phone, Chloe. And you…" he turned to Evan on his way out. "Eyes on your books."
Neal watched Woods go and then looked around the room. It was not a room for romance, but there was a sofa for two. He turned to his young pupils.
"Take a seat," he gestured to the sofa and took one of the chairs opposite. The kids sat down, Chloe as far away from Evan as possible.
"'Tale of Two Cities,'" Neal started. "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." That quote, so much of his own life in that. Neal started talking about the story of Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie, whom he had never met.
"So the two cities are London and Paris, right?" Chloe asked.
"Yes, that's correct."
"Paris…" Chloe said. "It's so romantic."
"This book takes place just before the French Revolution," Neal pointed out. "And we all know what happened in Paris then."
"Oh…" She looked disappointed.
They continued to talk about the two other parts of the book. Neal glanced at his watch. Five minutes until Peter would do his thing.
"Oh, it's okay if this goes longer than an hour," Chloe said. "Don't worry about my dad."
"Oh, I'm not. Evan was just telling us something interesting about 'Book the Second.'"
"Yeah, um... It was just about the British spies, Basard and Clay, and they're..."
Chloe's phone rang.
"Two seconds. Promise."
Neal smiled politely.
"Take your time."
"Hello?" she answered. "Yeah, he's here… I know…"
"All right, I'm gonna step out, all right?" he told Evan in a low voice. "I need you to keep Chloe occupied."
"How am I supposed to do that? She's acting like I'm invisible."
"Evan, it's time to take action. All right?"
The kid did not seem convinced.
Chloe returned to the sofa as Neal rose.
"Evan was just mentioning the recurring water imagery in the novel. Evan, you want to expound on that?"
"Sure. Um, it parallels the anger felt by the peasants, um, right before they storm
the Bastille," Evan tried to get eye contact with Chloe to no avail.
"I wish I was in Paris," she sighed. Then, when Neal moved to the door. "Where are you going?"
"Uh, restroom. When I get back, I want more examples of water imagery from both of you."
"So you've been to Paris?" he heard Evan ask Chloe as he walked down the corridor.
Peter wished he had Neal's talent for lying. It was one thing to go undercover alone, but now Diana was by his side as a girlfriend. If she touched him, he must not jump of surprise.
"I'd like to make sure my donation is spent on something useful," Peter told Woods across the table, "like scholarships rather than a new pool."
"I can see to that," Wood answered and turned to Diana. "Danielle, how's the food?"
"Oh, it's yummy. Reminds me of a meal Peter and I had in Aspen."
"Oh, yeah," Peter smiled at a memory he was supposed to have.
"Thank you again," Diana continued, charming as always. "Such a pleasure to meet you, Amber."
Peter glanced at his watch and the goon standing by the door he was supposed to open.
"I love Aspen..." Amber said. "Except for the snow."
Diana kept smiling, but Peter found himself frowning. Was there any other reason to go to Aspen than skiing?
They kept on talking about nothing, really. Pleasant things, in general, without any depth.
"Oh, you two are fantastic hosts," Peter chuckled at their last funny moment story.
"Now, as for you..." he leaned close to Diana. "Is that my door?" he whispered in her ear.
She chuckled as he said something naughty.
"Call me 'Linda,'" she whispered back.
He laughed as if she had returned the favor.
"Can't do that here, Linda," he said. "Back to business."
"Linda?" Diana asked, suddenly stiff and cold. "As in your wife, Linda."
"Ohh." Peter sighed.
"Over there, now." She rose, pointing to the glass wall with the door, far enough away from their hosts to be realistic.
"I'm sorry," Peter said to the hosts as he rose and joined Diana. "It was a mistake! I'm sorry!"
"I'm tired of hearing 'sorry.'"
"Well, what can I say?!" Peter glanced at the goon blocking the door in the corner. "He's not moving," he hissed behind his teeth.
"He will," she mumbled back. "Say you'll leave her!"
"I can't, because of Peter Junior."
"What about Peter Junior's baby brother?"
"Peter Junior doesn't have a baby brother."
"He's about to. In six months."
It was the perfect awkward moment when they would not want an audience. Woods nodded to the goon to give them some space.
"Oh, oh, oh. I need some air," Peter moved towards the door. "I need some air." Peter glanced at his watch.
"Don't you walk away from me!"
"I need some air." He opened the door.
"Not that door!" Woods called as the alarm set off. Had he noticed that it had set off before he opened it? Peter did not think so. "Hang on." Woods entered a code, and the alarm was turned off.
"My apologies for the scene," Peter said.
"Ohh," Woods grinned, patting him on the shoulder. "And I thought I was gonna be the one in the doghouse tonight."
"Oh, no."