Wednesday afternoon is windy and bright. I’m driving slowly, my eyes on the road but my mind a little scattered. There’s a lot to think about, at the moment.

For one thing, our next visit to the Bratton Collection. Kasey is happy with the results of our first mission, but we’ll have to go back soon, keep the heat on Coburn. Or the cold, more accurately. We’re planning to discuss next steps at the Ghost Office. We can’t do it at my apartment, because Noah is moving back in tonight.

He and Raj are supposed to make the big reveal to the fiancée in a few hours, and I’m curious about how it’s going to go. I want to hear what she thinks of the house, and, obviously, the yard. I’m also wondering how she and Noah will get along.

But I need to stay focused. The house won’t be the only surprise, today. Gabby is officially ready to reveal the project she’s been planning for Aiden and Ripley, and I’m so fucking excited to see how they’ll react. I think they’re both going to be stoked.

The address that Gabby gave me turns out to be only three blocks away from City Hall, on a stretch of street with a few restaurants and shops. I lock my car and step onto the sidewalk, looking around. Magnolia trees are planted here and there down the road, their leafy crowns slowly gaining a soft golden blush. A sign that we’re moving deeper into fall.

The street is quite pretty. The building where I’m supposed to meet everyone, however.

It’s clearly vacant, and my guess is that it has been for a long time. A commercial building, I think? There’s a huge display window at the front, but the glass is coated with a layer of dust too thick to see through.

The little patch of land between the building and the sidewalk is mostly dust. A few stray pieces of trash skip around on the breeze, smacking against the red-brick exterior. I’ve driven this street like a billion times, and I don’t think I’ve ever noticed this place before.

Okay, so it doesn’t look that impressive from outside, but that’s probably fine. Gabby is the one who chose the location, and she knows what she’s doing.

I must be at the right spot, because Ripley is outside, trying to look through the dirty window. He turns when he hears me coming up the path.

“Hey, Ripples!”

“Hey.”

The building has five steps that lead up to a small, stone-slab porch. I jog up the stairs and join Ripley. His green curls are habitually messy, but it’s blustery out today, and they’re even wilder than usual.

“You know what this is about?” he asks.

“Maybe! What did Gabby tell you?”

“Nothing, she just said to meet her here.” Ripley quirks a blonde eyebrow. “So you’re in on this, too?”

“Yes, actually. Have you been inside, yet?”

“No.”

I try the doorknob and find it unlocked. We both hurry out of the cold, and I shut the door after us.

Ripley and I both stop to check out the interior. It’s a wide, airy space with a high ceiling, way bigger than it looks on the outside. Two oversized windows line the back wall, boarded up. Light filters in through the dusty display window at the front, and from a few half-functioning fixtures set into the ceiling. The floor is smooth, glossy concrete, but the walls are busted in places. Water damage here and there, the paint peeling away.

It's one open space, with nothing in it. There’s a door to our left, presumably leading to another area, and a back door on the far wall.

“There they are!” Gabby beckons to us from the middle of the room, where she’s standing with Aiden. Ripley and I start towards her, then pause as the door opens again. Alix slips inside, a notebook in one hand, her purse on her shoulder.

“Am I late? Oh - Ripley! I didn’t know you were coming! And Jamie and Aiden, too! Hi, everyone!”

Ripley doesn’t look like he knew Alix was coming, either, but he returns her smile, then attempts to smooth down his windblown curls. They spring back up instantly.

“Come join us, Alix!” Gabby calls, and Alix’s free hand does a little flutter.

“Oh my god,” she hisses, as the three of us cross the room. “I’m freaking out, can’t believe she specifically requested me! She’s the City Manager.” We draw to a stop before Gabby, and Alix clears her throat, straightening out her posture. “Thank you for including me, Ms. Soto! I’m so excited, no matter what the project is!”

“Of course, but please, call me Gabby.”

“Really?” Alix tries and fails to suppress a massive grin. “Alright!”

“You can put that away.” Gabby nods at the notebook in Alix’s hand. “You won’t need to take any notes just yet.”

“Oh, I would prefer to, if that’s okay. I always take notes.” Alix has already flipped to a new page, and she’s now busy extracting a sparkly pen from her purse. “Keep things organized, you know.”

“Wow, you remind me of myself,” Gabby laughs. “Right down to the glitter pen.”

Alix positively beams at her.

I move to stand by Aiden, who, as always, looks stupid good in his work clothes.

“Hi,” I murmur, and he shoots me a little smile.

“Hi.”

“Let’s see, is that everyone?” Gabby does a speedy headcount. “Jamie, Aiden, Alix, and Ripley - yes, okay! We’ve got the core members of the team. We’ll bring in the others later.” She looks slowly around at each of us as she speaks, her voice echoing in the empty space. “We’re all going to be working on a project together, one I’m very excited about. Aiden, Ripley, the inspiration for this initiative came from you two.”

Ripley and Aiden exchange a glance, but it’s apparent that neither of them knows where this is headed.

“Aiden, you showed me those gorgeous photos of old Ketterbridge that we have in the archives,” Gabby continues. “And Ripley, you’re always working on those beautiful drawings.”

“What drawings?” Alix asks, looking up from her notes. Ripley’s face turns pink, and he shrugs instead of answering. Gabby seems to sense that he’s in distress, because she presses on.

“The city was able to cut some big costs this year. It fell to me, to decide how to allocate the funds that we’ve saved.” She looks to Aiden and Ripley again. “I had such beautiful visuals in my head, from both of you. So I looked into how much the city has spent on the arts, over the past few years.”

“Ten dollars?” Ripley guesses.

“Ripley!” Alix smacks his arm, scandalized.

“No dollars,” Gabby answers, and Alix whips around to face her.

“What - seriously? Nothing?”

“Exempting the school programs, yes. Nothing. This is a very small town, so I wasn’t exactly shocked, but for once we have some wiggle room in the budget, and I think it’s time we put some of it to use.” Gabby waves a manicured hand at the empty space, her rings picking up the light. “So. City Hall is sponsoring and organizing an exhibition, right here.”

A silence ensues.

“An exhibition of what?” Ripley finally asks.

“The theme, roughly, is Ketterbridge old and new,” Gabby explains. “Aiden will curate a selection of photos and archival pieces for the first part. He’ll also be the director of the overall exhibition, in charge of the team. Ripley, if you want to, you’ll curate the second portion of the exhibition, featuring work by Ketterbridge’s young artists. You can choose people from your art class, if you want. I’ll be handling admin. Jamie has kindly volunteered to be our community liaison. And Alix, you’ll be managing the promotion and the press for the show.”

The group takes a minute to absorb this. My eyes go directly to Aiden.

Warm delight blossoms in my chest when I see the surprised smile taking over his face.

I know that he originally took the archivist job for the purposes of the ghost hunt, but... I’ve watched him at work a number of times now, seen the way he carefully and gently handles old documents. Pausing to read the interesting ones, his eyes lit by the dim lamp. Sometimes I get texts from him, photos of a funny or ridiculous headline from an old newspaper.

Bronx Bear Sacks A Restaurant: Eats Pies and Cakes, Drinks Kettle of Coffee and Returns to Den

Thought of you, he’d said.

And there’s the way he never forgets to take off those white cotton gloves before he touches something else.

I can tell that he likes and takes pride in what he does. It’s clearly not lost on him, what an opportunity this is, what it means that Gabby would hand him such a responsibility.

Alix and Ripley, on the other hand, both look thunderstruck.

“Hang on,” Alix sputters. “I’m flattered, but - I’m an intern, I’ve never even released a press package! I mean - not by myself!”

“I’ll assign you a mentor within your department, Alix,” Gabby answers.

“Wh-? Really?”

“Yes, but you will have to lead the charge. The mentor is there to guide you, not to do the work for you.”

“Oh.” Alix considers for a moment, then lets out a loud, excited laugh. “Well then - oh my god - this is amazing!”

“Agreed,” Aiden says, running a hand over his face. “Holy shit. Thanks, Gabby.”

Alix twists to face Ripley, smiling from ear to ear. “Ripley? Are you in?”

It’s hard to tell exactly what’s happening on his face right now, but I get the sense that he’s turning the project over in his mind, thinking of all the angles.

“You can show your own art, Ripley,” Gabby adds. “And it’ll be up to you, who else and what else we show. As long as it’s young, local talent.”

Ripley hesitates. “It’ll be here? The exhibition?”

“Yes, City Hall owns this building. It hasn’t been used for anything in a long time. Noah and Raj, those two who fixed up the lights at City Hall, have offered to help restore the damaged areas, get the building in shape for the show.”

Ripley chews his lip.

“There’s no ramp,” he says. “Outside. There are stairs, but no ramp.”

Gabby glances at the door. “Oh?”

“My dad can’t come to the show if there’s no ramp.”

Gabby blinks, and I suspect that for once, someone actually managed to tell her something she didn't already know.

“Oh. I see. Well, let me look into that. There should be a ramp, anyways, it’s mandatory for most government buildings. I suppose this place wasn’t retrofitted, since it wasn’t in use… That might be something Noah and Raj can do. I’ll ask them. If we get that sorted - do you want to do this?”

Ripley’s face breaks into a slow, wide smile, and Alix lets out a little cheer. Gabby grins happily. Aiden is looking around the room like he’s already getting ideas.

As expected, Gabby’s surprise was right on the mark. The excitement in the room is palpable, mine included. I have a feeling this is going to be fun.

“Excellent!” Gabby says. “You should all use your regular work hours for this project, but let someone know if you’re working here, instead of City Hall, so we know where to find you. We’ll start working on the details, make a plan in the next week or so. In the meantime, we have one more person joining the team. We can’t have an exhibition without a grand opening, so I’ve hired an event planner. She’ll be working with us throughout the process of pulling the show together, to lend a hand with the overall design and feel. Raj recommended me someone-”

“His fiancée?” I ask, caught by surprise. Raj didn’t tell me about that.

“Yes! I looked her up, and her company has stellar reviews. I’m sure she’ll do a lovely job.” Gabby checks her phone. “Oh - looks like she’s here. Perfect timing. Aiden, she’s parked out back, can you go show her in?”

“Sure.” Aiden heads for the back door and slips outside.

“So.” Gabby extracts a folder from her purse, her gold bangles jingling. “We need a title for the show, but I think we should talk concept first. The theme I came up with is very broad, and something more specific might be-”

She breaks off as the front door suddenly swings open. We all turn around to see who's crashing our meeting.

It's Noah, of all people, and I can tell right away that something is wrong. He’s out of breath, his expression wild.

Gabby’s forehead creases. “Noah? We don’t need you quite yet. I told Raj I’d arrange a time for you guys to come take measurements.”

“No, I know! I’m sorry to interrupt.” His grey eyes scan the space and find me. “Can I borrow Jamie, for a minute?”

I’m already halfway across the room, concern growing in my stomach, bad possibilities racing through my head.

I follow him out onto the porch. He shuts the door behind us, then startles me by grabbing my shoulder and squeezing it tightly.

“Shit, Jamie! Why haven’t you or Aiden been answering your phones?”

“We were in a meeting, as you obviously know, because you’re here! Are you okay? What happened? Did Ralph show up?”

“What? No.” Noah shoves his dark hair out of his eyes. I thought he was out of breath from running here or something, but now I think he’s out of breath because he’s mid freakout.

“Noah, calm down! What happened?”

“Fuck, bro. This is so bad.” Noah leans a hand on the porch railing, clearly trying to steady himself out. “Listen, we’ve got a fucking situation.”

“What situation?”

“Okay, so - I always assumed that Raj’s fiancée was named Emily, or Emma, or something, because he always calls her Em.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m somehow more lost than I was before.

“Alright…?”

“But it turns out he was saying M. Like the letter M.” Noah runs a hand through his hair, swallowing hard. “Since I’m supposed to meet her today, Raj texted me, like, still good to meet M tonight?, and I realized he didn’t mean Em, so I finally asked him what her actual name is. Like, just now.”

“Okay…?” I stare at Noah, my brain swimming hard, trying to catch up. He’s looking at me like I should already know what he means. “So - oh, my god. Wait a minute.”

Several things add up in my head, all at once. Noah can apparently see it happen on my face.

“Yeah. Yeah.” He cringes, his hand tightening around the railing. "I didn’t fucking know, before, so I told Raj that he should recommend her for this project you, Aiden, and Ripples are doing. She’s a party planner, and Gabby was looking for one, and I didn’t - look, she’s probably on her way here, like, right fucking now."

Oh, fuck. Aiden is staring down the barrel of the world's most uncomfortable conversation, completely unprepared.

“Oh, shit!” My fingers go cold, and I seize Noah’s arm. “Noah, she’s already here - Gabby just sent Aiden to get her!”

“What?” Noah’s eyes grow even wider. “Fuck, man! My boy is in trouble, and I’m the one who put him there!”

“They’re around back! If we hurry, maybe we can intercept him, or warn him, or-!”

Noah leaps over the porch railing, and I race down the stairs after him. We tear around the side of the building, kicking up the dusty grass.

I round the corner and spot Aiden.

“Aiden!” I gasp. “Raj’s fiancée, she-”

He turns, his face pale, and I realize that someone is standing in front of him. Noah and I both crash to a halt, panting.

“Yep,” Aiden says, under his breath. “Just figured it out, myself.”

“Oh, great! Noah’s here, too. Perfect.” Raj’s fiancée lets out a dry laugh. “Now we just need Ralph and Grant, and we’ll have everyone.”

It’s Melanie. She is very pregnant. And she looks very unhappy.