Page 291 of Wild Card 13

"It's accurate."

The rear door of North Line opened. Four members of Arlo's staff came out with a dolly, thick gloves, and the brisk confidence of people who had been told by Vivienne Hart that failure was not an available outcome.

"Is that the cat?" one of them asked.

"No," I said. "Ice Bento is my date."

Ty covered his mouth with one hand.

The unloading began smoothly, which should have been my first warning.

The staff moved fast. Ty climbed into the bed to help guide the base. I stayed close because apparently Stockholm syndrome applied to ice sculptures. The dolly rolled into position. The straps came loose. Frozen Bento shifted forward.

"We've got it," one staff member said.

"Careful with the left side," Ty warned. "The ear is close to the frame."

"I see it."

The sculpture cleared the tailgate. For one glorious second, victory stood within reach.

Then Bento's left ear clipped the metal edge with a sharp, crystalline crack. The ear snapped clean off.

The broken piece hit the pavement, bounced once, and slid beneath Betsy. Frozen Bento, now one-eared and dripping, continued judging us with diminished symmetry.

A laugh escaped me. Small at first. Then completely beyond mycontrol. I bent forward, hands on my knees, soaked dress clinging everywhere, hair falling into my face.

One of the staff members looked horrified. "Miss Thomas, I'm so sorry."

"No," I wheezed. "It is absolutely perfect." I pointed at the sculpture. "Bento would lose an ear in protest."

Another staff member crouched to retrieve the broken ear. "Can we reattach it?"

Ty looked at the ear, then at the cat. "Maybe lean it strategically?"

"Like a garnish?" I asked.

By the time Vivienne appeared at the service door, headset in place and expression sharpened for battle, the sculpture was upright on the dolly, the ear had been placed in a tray of ice like a fallen relic, and I was still wiping tears from my face.

Vivienne took one look from me to the sculpture. "Why," she asked calmly, "is Bento missing an ear?"

"Creative direction," I said.

Ty looked away.

"You are soaked." Vivienne stared at me for a long second. "Your entrance is in twelve minutes."

"I am aware."

She inhaled through her nose again.

Ty stepped forward. "It was my fault."

"No, it wasn't," I jumped in.

Vivienne touched two fingers to her headset. "Bring the sculpture in through service. Place it behind the linen screen until Bea's entrance. Keep the broken ear chilled. We will angle the damaged side toward the greenery."

One of Arlo's staff nodded like he had just received military orders.