Page 20 of Searching the Skies

As he spoke, she snuck a peek up at Marcus and was startled to find him staring right back at her. She dropped her gaze again as a flush of heat rose to her face. While she fought the urge to fidget in her seat, the other two never missed a beat in their conversation.

“I’m sorry. I’ve just been talking everyone’s ear off.” Ash laughed. “So, Marcus, what do you do?”

“Nothing nearly as exciting,” came the flat response.

Geneva frowned, but little fazed Ash. “I’ve been told you’re a good friend of the family. Life can’t be too boring if you hang around with this one enough,” he joked, jerking his head toward her.

“I suppose you’re right.”

He refused to give up. “I’d love to hear about what Geneva was like as a child. You must have some fun stories.”

“Ash!” Geneva gave him a little kick from where she sat.

Dahlia chuckled. “Let Marcus speak, dear.”

He scratched his chin in thought. “I can’t think of anything particularly scandalous. She was always so much smarter than me and better than me at everything.”

“Untrue,” she said.

A sly smile spread across his face. “Well, I was better at following directions and not challenging authority.”

Geneva couldn’t decide whether to laugh or roll her eyes, so she settled for folding her arms across her chest and pretending to give him an angry glare.

“It sounds like the military was the perfect place for you, then.” Ash patted her knee. “They had to get that out of your system.”

She waited for some challenge from her mother, but none came. “It’s been the right place for me for a number of reasons,” she said softly, trying not to cringe at the anticipated reaction.

“And you’ve done very well there,” Marcus added.

Her gaze rose to meet his, issuing silent thanks for the continued support. “Can we talk about something else yet? Something other than me?”

Ash saved her yet again. “Maybe tomorrow. I don’t want to overstay my welcome.” He stood. “I should be heading into the city.”

“Surely you’ll join us for dinner?” Dahlia asked.

“Thank you for the invitation, but I don’t want to impose. I’ll call for a car now.” He set his plate on the tray. “I hope it won’t be too long.”

“I can give you a ride,” Marcus said.

Geneva’s eyes grew wide, but she said nothing.

“Only if it’s on your way,” Ash answered.

“It’s close enough. Don’t worry about it.”

They stood in an awkward circle, no one wanting to make the first move. “Call me tomorrow and let me know when you want me to come back,” Ash said. He gave Geneva and her mother a friendly wave. “Have a good night.”

Marcus did the same. “Good-bye, Geneva, Mrs. Greyson.”

The two gentlemen left the room, and Geneva turned toward her mother. “I’m a little tired. I’m going to go lie down before dinner.” She didn’t give her a chance to respond before sprinting upstairs, where she collapsed on her bed.

Though she had never expected Ash and Marcus to meet face-to-face, the unexpected encounter could have gone a lot worse, she thought. Still, she couldn’t shake the discomfort plaguing her, and she no longer knew where to turn. Seeing Marcus again had left her confused and made her question her decision to cut off all contact with him. At the same time, she admired Ash’s composure and appreciated the way he had spoken about her, and she didn’t want to lose him, either. Both men were important to her, but she saw no way to let each of them play a significant role in her life.

Dinner took place in uncomfortable silence, as all the carefully-planned words and eloquent speeches were left unspoken, stuck on the tip of her tongue with no obvious escape. The family was frozen in time, as if she was still a sullen teenager. She wished to be anywhere but at her parents’ dining room table and sought to convey to them how she felt. The metallic scrape of her utensils against the plates emphasized the lack of conversation, and as soon as she finished her meal, she excused herself to her bedroom once again.

Instead of flopping onto the soft mattress and yanking the covers over her head, Geneva paced across the carpeted floor. She hadn’t had the inevitable discussion with her parents yet. She didn’t know what to do about Marcus, and she had dragged Ash into the whole mess. Overall, her trip to Pasurea fell short of success. As she attempted to organize her scattered thoughts into a more cohesive plan of action, someone rapped on the door.

“Geneva, honey, can I come in?”

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