AN: There is a spoiler for the new book, Another Slice of Cake, in this chapter, and there's no way to avoid it. I thought and thought about it, but this topic would come up in the normal course of Clio and Archie talking about eye color in his family, it just would, so if you plan to buy ASoC when it comes out on July 31st or just read it on Kindle Unlimited, you might want to skip this chapter. There's nothing in it that you have to know to enjoy the rest of this book, all that happens is that Clio asks to meet Willow because she finds it odd that a stranger would buy Archie a cup of his favorite coffee, then they have a bit of a FaceTime spat while doing homework. I'll put [*SPOILER WARNING*] a couple of paragraphs before it comes up down below if you want to cut it really close.

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"So she just happened to know what kind of coffee you like? Isn't that weird?"

"No. No, she didn't just happen to know what kind of coffee I liked, she knew, from watching--"

"She watched you?"

"No, she didn't watch me, she noticed--"

"She noticed?"

Archie was starting to get a headache from all the strange stress on the verbs in these sentences. He was walking through Bryant Park with Clio. They were on their way to a favorite pastry shop for scones and tea, and he was doing his due diligence as a boyfriend by mentioning his burgeoning friendship with Willow, he thought, but the conversation was quickly running away from him, entering a strange realm of double entendres and unintended meanings. It was a brightly sunny and very cold day the week before Thanksgiving, and signs of Christmas had already appeared all over the city, although the big guns wouldn't morph until the Friday after Turkey Day.

"Yeah, wouldn't you notice if someone showed up with, say, gummy bears, every Monday and Wednesday, but every Friday they showed up empty handed?" To Archie this sounded perfectly reasonable.

"So she bought you your favorite coffee, just to be friendly."

Again with the odd stress. "Yes, she did."

"And so you offered to reciprocate by buying her drinks on other days."

"Erm, yes."

"But I'm not supposed to be put off or suspicious or jealous, because nothing's going on."

"What?" Archie was shocked, and people looked over at him because his voice was so loud. "Of course not! I just met her, for one thing, and I'm completely head over heels for you, for another, so the first thing doesn't even matter." Archie looked at Clio, indignant.

"Okay, okay, don't get your knickers in a twist, as you English like to say," Clio said, putting her hand through his arm and grasping his bicep. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so accusing. It's just that you're a hot commodity, and I've never had a boyfriend before, so I'm not sure what the appropriate response is, that's all."

"There are so many things wrong with that statement I'm not sure what to respond to first," Archie said, tucking her hand more closely into his arm. "First, I'm not the hot commodity, you are. You're Pete Santangelo's daughter, music royalty, as they say. And you're beautiful, like stop walking and stare level of beauty. Second, it's your own fault you haven't had a boyfriend before, you could've had your pick from nursery school on, it sounds like. And third, no response is required, because nothing untoward is going on. If anyone should feel worried, it's me, about the marvelous Zeke, who's been at your beck and call since you were toddlers, just waiting to love you since you were babies, am I right? He's handsome, smart, funny, fun, and dotes on you."

They entered the shop and took a moment to unwrap their scarves, remove their coats and find a place to sit. After they'd placed their orders, they continued their conversation.

"Well, regardless of what you say, it's still a little strange that someone you've never spoken to would just show up with coffee for you," Clio said, steadfastly standing her ground while warming her hands on her teacup. "I'd like to meet this Willow of yours, if that's okay."

"When and why did she become this Willow of 'mine'?" Archie asked.

"Call her what you like, I'd like to meet her," Clio insisted. "Call it a tit for tat situation, if you'd like. You've met Zeke, after all."

"Zeke lives in our pockets, more like," Archie complained. "And by the way, you look absolutely lovely right now, if I may say."

"You're kidding!" Clio made a face of disbelief. "With my nose all shiny and my hair all screwy?"

Archie shook his head. "The warmth of coming indoors has made roses bloom in your cheeks, and enhanced the curl in your beautiful hair so it frames your face just so." He leaned forward to touch her locks and move them a little. "And that sweater looks marvelous on you."

"You should've seen the sweater Francie wore to school today--"

"Don't do that," Archie interrupted, his voice soft. "Don't deflect the compliment I gave you to your sister, who I'm sure looked lovely, but isn't whom I intended the compliment for." He leaned forward and kissed Clio, whose mouth tasted like tea and raspberry scones, an amazing combination as far as Archie was concerned.

"Okay," Clio agreed, the corners of her mouth tipping up ever so slightly in a way that made Archie's stomach flutter. "Thank you, Archie, for making me feel beautiful. You look nice, too."

He waved her words away, having heard them many times before.

[*SPOILER WARNING*]

"No, now, don't wave my words away," Clio said, paraphrasing what Archie had just said to her. "You're better looking than your brother, I think, you know? His features are a little too chiseled, his jaw a bit too square. Yours is much nicer."

"Really?" Archie laughed in spite of himself. "And what about my eyes? How do they compare?"

"Well, your eyes are exactly the same as Heath's, I think," Clio informed him. "The same dark blue as your sister's and your nieces', actually. What color are the new baby's eyes? Nigel, is it?"

"Brown, same as MJ's," Archie said. "It's funny, because the girls are the spit of MJ, except for their eyes, and baby Ni looks exactly like Heath, except for his mum's brown eyes."

"I'm amazed you were able to leave those two beautiful girls and a new baby to come to boring old New York," Clio teased.

"It wasn't easy," Archie admitted. "Kiki and Lulu were crying and sobbing all over the place, staring at me with those eyes we've been talking about, all woeful and full of reproach, and baby Ni was so fucking adorable and perfect, and I'd forgotten how much fun a new baby is, you know?" He reached for her hand, clasping her long fingers in his. "But you were here, and you're worth it."

"I'm glad you came," she said simply. "Want to go to your place and do some homework?"

"Yeah, sounds good," he responded.

[*END SPOILER WARNING*]

They went up to Archie's apartment hand in hand and sat across from each other at the kitchen table, laptops open in front of them. Archie popped some popcorn for them to nosh on and made a fresh pot of coffee.

"Is your family okay with you not returning for Thanksgiving?" Clio asked.

"Well, they're not thrilled, especially the girls," Archie said. "But once I told them I'd be home for a month at Christmas, they forgave me."

"A month? A whole month?" Clio sounded forlorn.

"No, no, it will be fine, because we're all going to England, and you're going to Italy," Archie explained. "I'm sure we can meet somewhere in the middle, don't you think?"

"I don't know," Clio answered doubtfully. "Christmas is pretty big in both our families, don't you think? I don't think they're going to want us traipsing off to--where's the middle? France?"

"It can be the figurative middle," Archie explained glibly. "Maybe we can go skiing in Switzerland or see an ice festival or something like that? We'll figure something out, I'm sure we will.

"Now," he continued. "Since we're together, why don't you help me tease apart all of the motifs in this piece by Schumann, okay?"

"Sure, which one?"

Clio had an amazing ear for music, and a more upstanding person than Archie might have felt a little guilt over usurping her skill in this way. Archie, however, was a born opportunist, and he figured he wasn't hurting anyone and he was learning as he went, so what was the problem? He only needed her help with the first couple, anyway; after that, he could hear what was left, no problem.

While Clio was listening, he started getting text notifications from Willow, who was working on the same assignment. She couldn't even figure out the major themes, and needed help breaking down the elements. They weren't supposed to look at the sheet music to do this assignment, but Archie had a feeling Willow might be cheating a bit on this.

"Is that her? Is she asking you for help?" Clio asked, rising from her seat and coming around to see what the text said.

"Yeah, but it's not a big deal," Archie said, trying to hide the text with his hand over the screen. "I asked you for help, after all," he pointed out.

"Yes, but I'm your girlfriend, that's allowed."

"Oh, Archie, you're so much smarter than me," Clio paraphrased. "You're practically a musical genius, please help poor little me with this really really hard assignment." Clio put the back of her hand on her forehead in a melodramatic gesture. "I think I might die if some gallant Englishman doesn't help me with this musical theory, please!"

"You're such a bitch," Archie laughed, pulling Clio onto his lap so he could kiss her. "But so fucking cute, damn."

Just then his laptop rang as someone tried to FaceTime him.

It was Willow.

"I'll decline, it's okay," Archie said, getting ready to hit the button.

"No no, she must really need help," Clio said, reaching out and hitting accept from her place on Archie's lap.

"You're not going to move?" he asked, even as Willow's face appeared on the screen.

"Hi, Arch! I was hoping you'd--oh, hello." Her voice got formal and polite as soon as she noticed Clio in the frame. "You must be Clio. I'm Willow, I'm in Archie's music app class."

"Yes, I am, pleasure to meet you," Clio responded with a smile. "We were just going over the Schumann now, so the timing couldn't be more perfect."

"Oh? You're not in the class, though," Willow said, sitting back. "Are you a Schumann fan?"

Clio shrugged. "Not a fan, per se, but my ear's better than Archie's, so I'm helping out."

"Your ear is better than Archie's?" Willow's voice held disbelief. "His ear is better than the professor's.

"Archie," Willow continued, dismissing Clio completely from the conversation, "is her ear really better than yours?"

"It really is," he said with a laugh, giving Clio a little shake.

"Okay, if you say so," Willow answered with the tone one uses when one is humoring a small child. "I think we can handle this on our own, though, don't you think, Archie?"

"Right. Well, if you'll excuse me, then, I'd better get back to my organic chem," Clio said politely, rising from Archie's lap and returning to her side of the table.

"Clio, no, we need your help, please," Archie said, gesturing for her to return.

"Apparently not, she says you two can handle it, so go ahead, I don't want to be in the way," Clio answered, flipping her book to a new page.

"OMG, how old is she, like, fifteen? Fourteen?" Willow typed in a text.

"No, she's nineteen," Archie typed back. "And I don't like talking behind her back, please stop with the texts."

"So, what key are we in?" Willow asked briskly.

"Erm, a minor key," Archie said. "I think."

"D minor," Clio said softly from across the table.

"D minor," Archie repeated for Willow's benefit.

Willow agreed so quickly that Archie was sure she was looking at the sheet music, but he didn't say anything. They talked movements and themes, and wrote down times where the different movements ended and different motifs began and ended, while Clio nodded silently from across the table.

"Okay, I think we're finished," Archie said briskly after about thirty minutes of work.

"I guess so," Willow agreed. "See you in class, and thanks. Nice to meet you, Clio!" she called.

"You too," Clio responded. "Hope to see you in person soon."

After Archie ended the call, Clio said, "I don't like her, Archie, not at all."

Archie gestured for Clio to come back to his lap. "Please give her a chance, okay?" She's very nice, and funny as bollocks."

"Oh, well, if she's funny as bollocks, I guess I have to, don't I?" Clio acknowledged. She kissed Archie on the tip of his nose. "If she's important to you, I'll try, okay?"

"Okay, sweetheart, and thank you. And thanks for helping us, even though she didn't want you to, and you didn't want to."

"It's all part of being a grown up, isn't it?"