Page 17 of Conquering the Skies

Geneva’s gaze flicked back and forth between them as their lighthearted banter continued, and realization set in. “Wait a minute,” she said, her eyebrow arching. “Forgive me if I’ve missed something obvious in the past, but it sounds like the two of you have been making planstogether.”

Renae’s usual sunny smile lit up her face once more. “Nothing gets by you, Geneva, which I appreciate and admire.” Her cheerful demeanor wavered for a brief moment. “Unlike you, however, both of us were apprehensive about starting anything beyond a platonic friendship while we still worked together.”

“And then after that,” Freya said, “it was years of excuses, coming from both sides. Promotions, new business, lack of free time, the stars not aligning in the exact right way. But now…”

She squeezed her hand in both of hers. “Now we’re too old and tired to fight it anymore. There’s no one I love more than Freya and, more than anything else, I’m looking forward to making up for lost time.”

Geneva beamed at them, delighted by the heartwarming display before her. “I suppose even more congratulations are in order, then. Wherever you wind up, I’m sure you’ll have a blast with each other, and I wish you nothing but the best.”

“We already have some entries on our shared calendar.” The mischievous spark reappeared in her eyes. “One of the reasons I think I finally gave in to Freya’s advances was because I needed a date to Adele’s wedding.”

Freya elbowed her in the ribs again but snickered. “Whatever it took to win you over.”

“It’ll be good to see you there,” Geneva said. “Assuming I won’t be performing my bridesmaid duties every second of the day.”

“We’ll understand if you can’t slip away.” Renae shifted against the windowsill. “How’s that going, by the way?”

“Instead of a night on the town for her bachelorette party, Adele wanted a spa day with close friends and family. It’s coming up soon, as are the final fittings for our dresses.” She tried not to outwardly roll her eyes. “Yes, I agreed to wear a dress for this formal occasion.”

Laughing, she leaned her head on Freya’s shoulder. “There really are so many exciting changes going on around here, for all of us.”

***

The elevator doors opened into a lobby filled with lush greenery and flowering plants. Geneva assumed the intended effect was for clients to feel as if they had traveled somewhere other than downtown Triayda, but the warm temperature and abundance of leafy branches reminded her of the real rainforests she’d visited during her military career, and she found the attempted replication distracting rather than soothing. In the center of the room stood a wooden desk, and she approached the employee seated behind it.

“Hi there,” she said, keeping her voice low in order to not disturb the ambience. “My name is Geneva Greyson. I’m here for…uh, whatever Adele Winchester’s group is doing.”

The receptionist glanced at her monitor and tapped at the screen. “Welcome, Ms. Greyson. I’ve alerted the staff to your arrival, and someone will be coming out shortly to bring you inside. In the meantime, feel free to help yourself to a glass of mineral water.”

She stepped away from the desk and, choosing not to partake in the offered refreshment, shuffled around the perimeter of the room, pretending to be interested in some of the potted plants. Beneath a canopy of vines, a door she hadn’t previously noticed opened, and another employee strode toward her.

“Hello,” she said softly. “Please, come with me.”

Geneva followed her across the lobby. Beyond the doorway, Adele stood in the center of a group of women who bore a striking resemblance to her. Upon seeing Geneva, her face lit up. “Hi!” she squealed, waving her over. “I’m so glad you’re here! And I can’t wait for you to meet everyone!”

The attendant sidestepped toward the corner as she joined them. “We’re still waiting on some of my coworkers, but I don’t remember if you’ve met them before,” Adele said. “In the meantime, this is my mother, Vivian, and my sisters, Susannah and Phoebe.”

“Hi.” She didn’t know if a handshake or a hug was expected or appropriate, so she settled for what she hoped was a friendly wave. “I’m Geneva.”

The oldest woman smiled, matching her daughter’s expression. Though their facial features appeared similar, her white-blonde curls were piled into a loose knot atop her head. “It’s always wonderful to meet Adele’s friends,” she said.

Susannah tilted her head to the side. “If you’re not familiar with her colleagues, I take it you don’t work with Adele?”

“Oh, no. Trust me, you don’t want me to be responsible for dealing with anyone’s financial information. We’d better leave the numbers to the experts.”

“Geneva and Marcus were childhood friends,” Adele said. “They reconnected a couple of years ago, and now she’s living here on Pasurea again.”

“Aww, how sweet.” Phoebe clasped her hands in front of her mouth and giggled. “I don’t think I’ve ever even imagined Marcus as a kid.”

She smirked. “He was always very well-behaved. I was the one who caused all sorts of problems for my parents as a teenager.”

“So,” Susannah said, “if you don’t work with Adele, what do you do?”

Her shoulders tensed, and she rubbed the side of her head. “I work in security. Personal protection, private investigation, so on and so forth.”

“Oh, there’s more to it than that!” Adele bounced up and down on her toes. “The owner of the company, another friend of mine, is retiring, and Geneva’s stepping into her role. Soon, she’ll be the one in charge!”

“Sounds fascinating. I’m sure you provide an essential service to the people in this city.” Susannah’s countenance softened, as if she’d passed some sort of unknown test. “I’m glad Adele is in good hands, even when she’s living on a different planet from the rest of us.”

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