Page 55 of Finding the Forward: Part One
“Probably not. The Maimers have a home game tonight. If Mercy goes off with her friends instead of Tito’s after the game, I’ll call you?” Verity told us.
“That sounds like a good plan.” Grif planted a kiss on her temple.
Oh. Mercy had a game. Verity had probably planned on going to lunch with Grif while Mercy got in a pre-game nap.
“Halloween games are fun. Are you dressing up in costumes to and from the arena?” I asked. We had a Halloween game last year and we all dressed as knights.
She nodded. “Mercy and I have a cute matching costume. I’ll text you pics.”
“I can’t wait.” I grinned at her, wondering what it could be.
Jonas offered me a hand and I took it, that giddy feeling I always got when we touched going through me.
Grif helped Verity up and got her stuff packed away. She sent off a text and grabbed her backpack and crutch.
“Come on boys,” she drawled. “Let’s go find Mercy, then have some lunch.”
Chapter Eighteen
Verity
Out of all of my big sister’s mates, I got along with Spencer best because we mostly talked science. He might not have a PhD, but he was always up on the latest scientific trends and innovations.
I unlocked my greenhouse, checking the monitors like always before letting Grace and Spencer inside. She was here to speak to the math department, given she was a theoretical mathematician and working on some incredible projects.
The heady smell of omega lilies greeted us, as did rows and rows of miniature white and pink lilies. They were a perennial that grew wild all over the Mediterranean, and many people cultivated them outside or in pots.
Happiness coursed through me as I entered the humid warmth of my greenhouse. It wasn’t just because being around plants was my happy place.
Grace, dwarfed by her alpha, closed her blue-gray eyes and inhaled. “I miss this.”
“I left you some.” Over the summer, her backyard played host not only to my research rescued from Briar but all my plants from home, including the contents of my backyard greenhouse.
Some stayed at her place–like the roses I’d created for Dad. He hadn’t been able to take them to London. They now festooned a trellis by her hot tub.
“I know, but it’s not like this.” She gestured at all the flowers.
Spencer’s gaze fell on the still-locked area behind us with a respirator warning.
“As you can smell, my special lilies are fine. I’ve started the next phase to up their output even further, which is why the back portion of the greenhouse is closed off,” I told them.
In flower lore, these lilies brought peace and happiness to homes where they grew. It turned out that they mildly increased serotonin production. I’d been genetically engineering them to have an even greater ability.
However, too much serotonin could cause impulse aggression or even be toxic. Hence, having a separate area and using respirators with new, untested strains, as I worked to refine them to promote optimum happiness.
While it was a genetic feat, it was also a bitsillyandfluffyfor most academic tastes. Even NYIT had encouraged me to stretch what I was doing.
Though there were definite pharmaceutical and commercial applications. That wasn’t entirely why I was doing it.
Spencer probably knew that.
He took out a small device from his pocket and waved it around. A bug detector. Compass BioTek used them to helpprevent corporate sabotage. Satisfied, he tucked it back in his coat pocket.
“What is the actual objective of your research, Verity?” Spencer asked, brown eyes gazing at the closed-off part of the greenhouse.
“Not everyone has an ulterior motive. Why can’t we have happier flowers for happiness's sake?” Grace took a deep sniff, her blonde head resting against his chest.
“This is my research. Happier omega lilies,” I told him.
