ly

st. The cab left Manhattan behind, crossing a bridge into the lush, manicured world of Long Isl

stylized letter 'S' was woven into the metalwork. I gave my name to a di

riveway crunched

steel, and dark stone, perched on a cliff overlooking

ance. Trim, with sharp features and an even sharper gaze that too

ce as crisp as his suit. "I am

, dominated by a floating staircase and a single, e

Mr. Foster explained. "He asked you

l of floor-to-ceiling windows. It was filled with beautiful, educational toys-Ger

was eer

r of the room, his back to them. He was building a tower with a complex

. Foster said, his voice

ower was perfectly symmetrical-each block placed with a precision that was almost ritualistic. That level of rigid order was a textb

ike stones in the quiet room. "Not since his mother left a year

rs tensed as the

f

entire year

imself, leaving me a

, selected a different set of building blocks,

s tower, his small body rigid with frustration. Each time, the top blo

ing down with a soft clatter of woo

say, "I

say, "Let

ting a similar tower. But near the top, I deliberately left a single, obv

nd pushed the unfinished tower away slightly. Then I

ait

mi

w

expanse of the rug. He stopped in front of my flawed tower. His small hand reached out, p

d up at

is were the color of a deep sea, wary and g

ios

idn't speak. I just held his gaze for

ar me, not too close, and began

en. He stared at Noah, sitting calmly near a stranger for the first time in a

at me, then quickly, almost secretively, press

gi

ecr

ngers around t

"Miss Vaughn." His voice held a new note