I hear her talking to someone a moment later, and I head out to begin another long day of smiling at customers, pretending that there’s nothing in the world I’d rather be doing than wrapping up pastries for them.
I round the corner from the kitchen and am surprised to see Gavin at the counter, looking over the pastries that are already in the case. He’s dressed more formally than usual, in khakis and a pale blue button-down shirt. Annie is already busy putting slices of baklava into a box for him.
“Hey!” I say. “You’re dressed up today.” The moment the words have left my mouth, I feel silly.
But he just smiles at me and says, “I took the day off; I’m headed up to the nursing home on the North Shore. I’m just getting some pastries to bring to the folks there. They like me better when I arrive with food.”
I laugh. “I bet they like you with or without food.”
Annie sighs heavily, as if to remind us that she’s still there. We both glance at her, and she hands Gavin the bakery box, which she has tied neatly with white ribbon while we were talking.
“So Annie,” Gavin says, turning his attention to her. “How’s it going with your search for Jacob Levy?”
“Not good,” Annie mutters. “No one’s ever heard of him.”
“You’ve been calling the names on your list?”
“Like hundreds of names,” Annie says.
“Hmm,” says Gavin. “I wonder if there’s another way to look for him.”
Annie brightens. “Like what?”
Gavin shrugs. “I don’t know. Do you know his birth date? Maybe there’s a way to search for him online if you have a date of birth.”
Annie nods excitedly. “Yeah, maybe. Good idea.” I expect her to thank him, but instead, I hear her blurt out, “So you’re, like, Jewish?”
“Annie!” I exclaim. “Don’t be impolite.”
“I’m not,” she says. “I’m just asking.”
I glance at Gavin, and he winks at me, which makes me blush a little. “Yes, Annie, I’m Jewish. How come?”
“I don’t really have any Jewish friends,” she says. “And now that I know I’m, like, Jewish, I was just curious about, you know, Jewishness.”
“It’s called Judaism, not Jewishness,” I tell her. “Besides, you’re not Jewish, Annie. You’re Catholic.”
“I know,” she says. “But I can be both. Mamie’s both.” She turns to Gavin again. “So, like, do you go to Jewish church every week?”
Gavin smiles. “It’s called temple. And I don’t go every week, even though I probably should. Some Fridays, I’m working. And some Fridays, I’m just too busy. That’s not very good, is it?”
Annie shrugs. “I don’t know. We, like, never go to church or anything either.”
“Well, I was planning to go to temple tomorrow,” he continues. “You’re welcome to come with me, Annie, if you’re curious. If it’s okay with your mom.”
Annie looks at me excitedly. “Can I go, Mom?”
I hesitate and glance at Gavin. “Are you sure?” I ask him.
“Absolutely,” he says. “I always go by myself. It’d be nice to have the company. I actually go to a synagogue in Hyannis. If you’re going to visit your grandmother tomorrow, I can swing by and pick Annie up at the hospital at the end of visiting hours.”
Annie is grinning at me, and I shrug. “It’s fine by me,” I say. “As long as you’re sure you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Gavin says. “I’ll come by tomorrow evening. Okay?”
“Cool,” Annie says. “Thanks. It’ll be cool to be, like, two religions at the same time.”
I stare at her for a minute. “What did you say?”
She looks embarrassed. “I just mean it’s, like, another side of me, you know?” She pauses and rolls her eyes when I don’t say anything. “God, Mom, I know I’m Catholic. Don’t freak out.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “That’s not what I meant. I mean you just gave me another idea for how we might find Jacob.”
“How?” Annie asks. She and Gavin are looking at me curiously.
“Interfaith organizations,” I say slowly. “If Jacob trusted a Christian friend to bring the love of his life to a Muslim mosque during the war, he’s obviously someone who respects other religions, right?”