Page 33 of Saint

“I hope you’re right, Annie. I care for Braxton. A great deal.”

“Care for him?” she smirked.

“I-I more than care for him,” whispered Stephanie.

“I know, honey. Don’t let him scare you away. You’re exactly what my son needs.” Annie walked away, and Marilisa smiled at her friend.

“See. You’re doing the right thing. He’ll miss you when he finds out you’re not in the cottage any longer.”

“If he even notices.”

“He’ll notice,” smiled Marilisa. “It’s beautiful. When it happens with him, it will be beautiful, Stephanie. It was much better than I’d imagined or read about.”

Stephanie looked around the grove at the people milling about for breakfast. It was starting to become too hot to sit out here, even in the morning hours. She would hate to have to eat inside in the coming months. Being outside was like freedom to her. Fresh air.

But soon the air would be hot and heavy with rain, dumping the afternoon deluge on them all and then steaming up the entire property once again.

The gardens would be full of fragrance and bloom, things that she couldn’t spell or even understand their need for would be wandering on the vines like twisting pieces of history.

“That’s a good way to think of it,” smiled Martha.

“Oh, hello, Martha. Did you hear my thoughts?”

“I always hear your thoughts, darlin’. The vines are like twisted pieces of history. I remember the day my grandmother planted that wisteria over there. It smelled wonderful, even as a small plant. I’ve watched it grow and bloom for more than two hundred years now. The smell is so overpowering and brings such strong memories I cry nearly every time.”

“It must be wonderful to feel so connected to all of this.”

“Don’t you feel connected?” she asked the young woman.

“I guess. A little, anyway. Everyone seems to have found their someone. First, it was Chelsea, then Katelyn, now Marilisa, and Victoria. I thought I found my someone, but maybe I’m wrong.”

“You’re not wrong, child. You just need to learn some patience. Listen to what his mother said. Let him stew for a few days, and he’ll realize that he enjoyed your company more than he cares to admit.”

“And if he doesn’t admit it?” she whispered.

“Then he’s a bigger fool than I thought.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

At the morning meeting, it was noted that Thomas, Paige, Ryan, Suzette, Riley, and Gabi were all seated in the front row. Beside them was Stephanie. Braxton leaned over her seat, whispering in her ear.

“Where were you this morning?” he asked.

“Having coffee in my own cottage,” she said. He opened his mouth to speak, but Luke called the meeting to order. She could feel Brax’s eyes boring into the back of her head.

“Alright, we’ve got a full house this morning because this affects everyone in this room. Thomas? Everyone – you have the floor.”

“Thank you, Luke. Good morning.” There was a chorus returned, and Thomas smiled. “I have to confess, genetics is not my area of expertise, but radiation and other sciences are. This team is amazing, but you already know that. We couldn’t have discovered all of this without Stephanie.”

She blushed, feeling the eyes of others in the room on her.

“We also owe a thank you to our resident photographer, Ivy, who put us on the right trail,” said Ryan. Ivy smiled at them, nodding. “The pink dust that you all saw wasn’t pink at all. We believe it was fragmented radioactive particles of red and blue that had been expelled from a live reactor.”

“Shouldn’t we all have died?” asked Flip.

“In theory, yes. I think that’s how they discovered that you were all unique. Your parents were dying. Soldiers were dying. Even the general public nearby was dying. But you all were thriving,” said Paige.

“So, how did all this work?” asked Fiona.

---