Page 33 of Altius
“Oh, I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon,” Carmen said with a hopeful smile just before the elevator door slid shut—but not fast enough to obscure Joaquin’s annoyed glare or Alijah hiding his face in his hands.
Morgan unlocked the door with her thumbprint, holding back Tenny with her foot so I could follow her. I ducked inside, trying to shut the door behind me before either of the cats could escape into the hallway.
Long fingers stopped it from closing at the last second. Owen slipped across the threshold, looking as wrung out as I felt.
“Ah, silence,” he murmured with an appreciative exhale and headed for the reading chair.
Morgan blinked at him in confusion, then turned to look at me.
“We’re stuffed and tired of talking about major life events,” I said, setting the bags on the counter.
“I see.” Morgan began unpacking the leftovers, a smile flickering in one corner of her mouth. “So, I guess you don’t want any pie.”
“I said stuffed, not full.” Pulling open the utensil drawer, I helped myself to a knife and fork. Then I took a plate from the dish cabinet. “There’s a distinct difference.”
Rolling her eyes, Morgan set two pie containers before me. “There’s pumpkin, apple, and cranberry gingersnap. Help yourself.”
I glanced at Owen, wondering if he wanted pie, too. He was absorbed in the stacks of white papers and research notes scattered across the coffee table. Leaving him to his own devices was the safest bet.
“So,” Morgan asked as she opened the turkey container, drawing greedy meows from both cats. “How was Thanksgiving with your aunts?”
“Absolutely priceless,” I said, cutting large slivers of each pie. “Because Alijah beat Aunt Edith at poker. Won five grand.”
“What?” Morgan froze, holding a selection of bite-size morsels in her hand.
“Yup. Joaquin was down to his last twenty bucks and dared her to go all in.” I took a large bite of the pumpkin pie—perfect crust, with just the right amount of cinnamon. So much better than Aunt Tabby’s.
“And Edith played along, not knowing Alijah had the better hand?”
Tenny wound between Morgan’s ankles as she walked around the island, both cats mewling incessantly until she dropped the turkey into their bowls. They gobbled it down in two seconds flat.
“That’s the best part. He didn’t realize he had the winning hand. It was a straight flush, but the cards weren’t very high.” I tried the apple pie next. It fell just short of Maricela’s appleempanadas. “He thought Joaquin’s four Jacks were better and was celebrating, thinking his mate finally pulled off a win—only for Edith to ask if he wanted his winnings in cash or check.”
“Cash sounds more fun,” she said, ignoring Kip as he reared up, batting at her thigh, begging for more turkey while she transferred the leftover containers to the fridge.
“I would’ve taken the cash, too. But Alijah wanted the check, mostly because I don’t think he believed it was real.”
Not sure if I liked the look of the cranberry gingersnap’s pie bright red curd, I took a test bite—only for tart perfection to explode on my tongue. I shoveled half the slice into my mouth in one go.
“Fuck, that’s good.”
Morgan shut the refrigerator and offered me a rare full smile. “Kelsey made it.”
“Can she make more of it?” I couldn’t get enough of the cookie-like crust.
“No need.” Opening the freezer, Morgan pulled out a fresh pie and slid it across the island toward me. “She made six—because my family eats the same amount as an army squad—but wasn’t sure if people would like it. Consider it a thank you for being my chauffeur.”
“What do I get,” Owen asked as he approached, carrying a selection of her white papers, “if I give you access to the Redwing research library?”
She raised a skeptical brow. “I’d say whatever you want, but I’m afraid you’re after my kidney or something.”
“I’ll settle for pie.”
He sat down at the island and gave me an expectant look, bordering on dominant, content to wait until I served him. I shot him a dirty look and went to grab a fresh plate.
“Wait.” Slightly trembling fingers grabbed my arm. Morgan stared at Owen. “You’re not serious, are you?”
He tapped the stack of papers beside him. “These are outdated. Our resources are better than the university’s. I need you on the same page as my team when it comes to research.”
