Page 22 of Conquering the Skies

Geneva stood at the window, hands clasped behind her back. Outside, the midday sun peeked through the surrounding skyscrapers, illuminating the austere angles and glossy façades defining this sector of the city. Since stepping into Renae’s role at the office, business had been running smoothly. Though there seemed to be an endless number of administrative tasks to keep her busy, she embraced the occasional calm moment.

Behind her, the door opened and closed. “Your coffee, ma’am. Nice and hot, from a fresh pot and served in your favorite mug.”

Turning around, she planted one hand on her hip. “I don’t have a favorite mug. And I think you’re enjoying this a little too much, no?”

Ash crossed the room and pressed the steaming beverage into her hands. “What, being your humble servant and most efficient errand boy? How could Inotenjoy this?”

She took a sip from the mug. “I don’t think the groveling is necessary, though.”

A roguish glimmer lit up his deep-blue eyes. “If you’re worried about someone finding out I’m sleeping with the boss, I think everybody knows already.”

He easily sidestepped out of the way when she tried to elbow him in the rib cage. “I’m starting to think I don’t give you enough work to keep you busy and out of trouble,” she said.

“Like I said, I’m very efficient.” He grinned. “As are you, which is why everything’s going so well around here.”

Geneva resumed staring out the window. “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.”

“You know what they say about great minds and all that.” Ash stood beside her and followed her gaze. “Between stepping into your new role so effortlessly, finishing up our wedding plans, and earning respect and admiration from a whole lot of people on this planet, you’re on top of the world. I’m almost afraid to say it out loud in case I accidentally jinx something.”

“By now, you know I don’t believe in such stuff, but thanks.” She raised the mug to her lips and mumbled her next words into its depths. “So, why do I feel like I’ve made a huge mistake?”

The unanswered question hung heavy in the air. Ash shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I hope you don’t mean you’re making a mistake with me,” he said. Though his tone was breezy, uncertainty flickered across his face.

“Oh, no! Of course not!” She shook her head. “Shit…I should have known I wasn’t going to phrase any of this well.” Slipping one arm around his waist, she pulled him closer to her. “I’ve never doubted my feelings for you. Ever.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Concern still creased his brow. “Though I’m kind of worried there’s something else you’re not sharing with me. What’s going on?”

Geneva swirled her coffee around and frowned. “When I first started working here after leaving the military, I didn’t know how long I’d last. Don’t get me wrong, I liked what I did well enough, and my colleagues are great, but I think I assumed it would be temporary until I figured out what I really wanted to do.”

He nodded. “And since you’ve gone ahead and bought the company, it doesn’t seem temporary anymore.”

“Exactly.” With her free hand, she rubbed her temples. “What was Ithinking? It’s like I took my least favorite parts of every job I’ve ever had and committed the rest of my life to them. Plus, we all know how I have mixed feelings about this planet in general. While I don’t hate Pasurea, I do hate feeling like I’m stuck here.” She swallowed, loathing the next confession tumbling out of her mouth. “This isn’t me. I don’t feel like myself here, either in this office, in this city, or beyond.”

Ash swiveled so he faced her and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Nothing is permanent and nothing is irreversible. If you don’t want to run Platinum Security Solutions anymore, then don’t.”

“It’s not so easy,” she said, groaning. “I can’t go to Renae and say ‘Hey, I changed my mind, here’s your company back.’ Not to mention, everyone else was worried about whether they’d still have a job, and I don’t want to let any of them down.”

He stroked his chin in an exaggerated gesture. “Just because you own the company doesn’t mean you have to be the one in charge of it, right? Can’t you delegate the stuff you don’t want to do? You’re the boss after all.”

A long breath left her lips. “Again, you’re making it sound easy when it’s not.”

The screech of an incoming alert on her communicator prevented her from arguing further. Geneva silenced the noise and checked the display. “It’s one of our recurring clients,” she said. “I’d better not keep him waiting.”

“I think he would understand if you took more than five minutes to respond to his message.”

“I know, I know. But…” She tried to offer him a genuine smile. “Thanks for the coffee.”

Ash didn’t move. “Can we finish talking about this later?”

“What else is there to talk about?” Her shoulders slackened. “I’ll be fine. I think I just needed to get a few things off my chest.”

“It sounded more serious than that. I want you to be better than ‘fine.’” His fingertips brushed her wrist. “Do what you need to do for the rest of the day. Once it’s quitting time, though, there are a few things I think we should discuss.”

“If you insist. I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” An idea sprang into her mind, and this time, her smile was more sincere. “I know a good place for us to go after work. There are a few parts of this planet I love.”

***

“I’m not so sure about this,” Ash said, grunting as he hoisted himself up.

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