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“Coffee?” Izzie asked Yoko.
“Please. Can you make me a cappuccino?”
“With just a push of the button.” Izzie placed a cup under one of the spigots of the professional-grade coffeemaker. Then she steamed the milk. She eyed Yoko and then glanced at Zoe.
“Have you recovered from last evening?” Yoko asked Zoe.
“I’m not sure. That was a lot to absorb, especially since I was supposed to be here to help both of you initially. I had no idea it was going to become such a . . . such a, what?” Zoe’s eyes grew wide again.
“Big commotion?” Yoko interjected.
“Hubbub?” Izzie countered.
“I don’t know what to call it!” Zoe screwed up her mouth.
“Let’s just say it was an intervention,” Izzie offered.
Zoe laughed out loud. “That’s a good one! I guess I needed it. I was getting terribly paranoid.”
“Sounds justified,” Yoko said just before she took a sip of her frothy beverage.
The phone rang, causing everyone to jump. Then they broke out in laughter. “See?” Zoe smirked.
Izzie answered the phone. “Good morning, Annie.” Izzie listened for a moment. “Yes, Zoe is doing fine. She got a good night’s sleep.” More listening, then came a chuckle. “Yes, I did make one of my special toddies for her.” Izzie grabbed a pad and pen and started writing something down. “Got it. I’ll let her know. Thanks, Annie. Talk later.” Izzie ended the call. She leaned on the counter, facing the two other women. “Zoe, tomorrow you may notice someone following you as soon as you leave your apartment. Though odds are you would never spot her. She’s that good. But if you get a creeped-out feeling, not to worry. That will be Sasha. She’ll be on a silver and black Brompton bicycle wearing bike shorts and a helmet. She’ll have a messenger bag over her shoulder.” Rufus sensed another visitor and gave a bark. “That must be Myra. She is dropping off a photo of Sasha.” Izzie clicked the video camera on and buzzed Myra in. “I know most people would expect a text but we haven’t set up your private network yet, and we don’t want to leave an electronic trail.”
“Understood.” Zoe nodded and turned toward the door. Myra bounced across the room, wearing a pair of navy jogging pants and a matching hoodie, high-top sneakers, and of course, her pearls. She looked years younger than her passport stated.
Morning greetings and hugs went around the kitchen island. “I was explaining the logistics for tomorrow when you arrived,” said Izzie.
Myra pulled out a stool as Yoko fixed everyone a fresh cup of coffee. “Carry on.”
“You are to stop at the Peet’s coffee shop on Thirty-Seventh,” Izzie said to Zoe. “Sasha will get behind you in line. Make sure your tote bag is unzipped. She’ll pull out a file from her bag and a few papers will fall out. You’ll turn to help her while she slips a beige envelope into your bag. Don’t open the envelope until you know you have total privacy. The envelope will contain a watch. A Fitbit kind of thing. It has a red emergency button. When activated it will send a signal to Sasha, her boss, Avery, and Charles. It is also a two-way radio. If you get into trouble, push the white button and you’ll be able to tell us what the problem is.” Izzie could sense that what she was saying was overwhelming to Zoe. “Don’t worry. You should have no reason to use it. It’s there just in case, and to make you feel safe.”
There’s that word again, thought Zoe. “I feel so much better already.” She let out a huge sigh.
Izzie continued. “There will also be a burner phone for you to use when you need to speak to any of us. Untraceable, but we’ll know it’s you.”
Yoko placed both her hands on top of Zoe’s trembling fingers. “It’s going to be okay. Promise.”
“Is this real? I don’t mean are you for real. I mean, am I having a waking kind of dream?” Zoe asked.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, especially since you haven’t even been here a whole twenty-four hours,” Izzie comforted her friend.
Yoko turned Zoe’s swivel stool so they faced each other. “Why don’t we take a look at the plans now? We can come back to our”—Yoko cleared her throat—“mission . . . later.”
Zoe let out another big sigh. “Sounds good.” Izzie placed everyone’s coffee on a tray and carried it to the office area on the other side of the loft.
Izzie’s desk was made from an old oak door, fixed on triangular posts. It was the perfect space for blueprints. She unrolled the plans and began to discuss her and Yoko’s ideas.
“We’re responsible for the entire project, but the café will be our own space. We have some friends from Ashville, North Carolina, who will help with the fixtures and setup. But for now we need to focus on the entire project from below ground on up.”
Zoe perused the plans. “Looks like you have the right specs for the job. What are your concerns?”
“We want to make sure we’re compliant. I know we are, according to the ordinances, but we want to be sure we’re above reproach.”
Yoko echoed Izzie’s concern.
“Even if you use the specs you already have, you should be way beyond the requirements.” Zoe took a closer look. “Really. You get your foundation constructed according to these and you should be absolutely fine.”
