“I’ll mention it to Ezreal to see if he might like to help.” Rafe’s mother looked dubious that time. His partner Ez was a brilliant musician but was incredibly shy around people he didn’t know. He stuttered when he was stressed, and he was especially stressed around women. “Look how good he is with Lessa and Nik, not nervous at all.”
“Maybe.” His mother looked thoughtful. “It might be good for him to get out and do something outside of work.”
“She’s not in too big a hurry, is she?” Rafe asked as he typed a reminder into his phone. “I won’t mention it to him until after the newest update is finished. What’s her name again?”
“Sara Fortune,” Alex said. “She’s divorced with a couple of kids.”
Rafe nodded. Ez wasn’t put off by his mother, so working with another motherly female type shouldn’t be a problem for him.
“I like Mrs. Fortune,” Lessa said. “She’s nice.”
“Yes, she is.” Francie stood. “I reckon it’s time for you lot to get ready for bed.”
“Ma,” Rafe said, rising, “do you want me to invite Ahri to stay here, or do you want to do it?”
“I think you should.” She picked up Nik, who was starting to look drowsy. “We’ve met a few times, but I’m not sure she’ll even remember who I am. It might seem strange to her. She knows you better.”
“All right. I’ll let her settle in for a couple of days, maybe through the weekend.” Rafe picked up his jacket. “She might be ready for a change by Sunday.” For some reason, the image of Ahri working with his mother appealed to him.
Ahri paced the apartment again.Bill had suggested she keep her identity as Kayn’s sister a secret, and she was going crazy locked inside. Peeking through his curtains to the complex outside, she felt jealous. Even on a Saturday, the place was busy and everyone seemed to have things to do and places to go. She had nothing to occupy her mind and keep her from worrying.
She’d hardly seen Kayn in the three days since she’d been there. She knew he was busy, but she hadn’t imagined just how busy. Everyone seemed so driven. The part of her brother’s wing that connected with the main office building included meeting rooms. Sometimes she’d sneak a look out his apartment door and overhear the brainstorming going on in the conference rooms. Something about one of the champion updates wasn’t working the way they wanted it, and everyone sounded stressed.
When she’d first seen the drawings for the complex, it hadn’t occurred to her just how close her brother’s working and living spaces were. Maybe that was part of the reason Kayn couldn’t break himself away from the job. It was rightthereon the other side of his apartment door. With each of the four partners having their own wings, she imagined they all had trouble separating their business and personal lives.
Ahri went to the window and stared at the garden beds artistically spread around the grounds. The weather was a lot cooler here than in Phoenix, and the colorful flowers almost cheered her up.
When Kayn had taken her grocery shopping on Saturday, she’d found the town of Boone to be a green delight after living in the desert of Phoenix. The town had fewer than twenty thousand people and felt small-town by comparison. Boone seemed full of young people, mainly students at Appalachian State. The southern accents and fun sayings made her smile when she least expected it.
It surprised Ahri that she felt no pull to return to Arizona. With Zed’s leaving and everything that’d happened since, she’d been trying to understand how her life had fallen apart. A couple of her friends had moved out of state, and they’d lost touch. Another friend had married, and her husband and Zed hadn’t hit it off. Gradually, they’d drifted apart. Ahri hadn’t realized how hard it could be to make “couple” friends. Now that she was alone, she saw how isolated she’d let herself become.
Once this thing with Zed was resolved, what should she do, return to Arizona? With her mother gone, she didn’t really have anyone there except for Taliyah. Bill had let Ahri call her but only on one of his phones that had some kind of scrambling software on it. She and Taliyah had talked a couple of times, but it was a little depressing. The office had already moved someone up into Ahri’s position.
She studied the people hurrying around and the small groupswho were basking in the spring sunshine, most busy talking. They gave off an energy she’d never experienced before in a workplace.
Ahri put on a hoodie and went out Kayn’s private entrance at the back of his wing. She hoped the sun would take the edge off the chill. The gardeners must have already finished with his patio area because the flower beds held brightly colored blooms. She walked past the small barbecue and took a seat on a wooden bench. The enclosed area wasn’t big enough to host a large gathering, but she could see him having the guys over after work or maybe key members of his programming team for a working dinner.
She liked being close enough to see her brother every day. She’d missed him. He’d assured her that his super busy schedule would settle down in a few weeks. If she stayed here, what should she do? She couldn’t just hang around her brother’s apartment, nice as it was.
Maybe she could go back to school, but to study what? She’d looked at jobs online, and there were some possibilities. Would any employer hire someone who’d essentially walked off the job, regardless of the circumstances? She’d had a job since she was sixteen. Even these few days off, with nothing to work toward, were driving her a little crazy. She needed to do something.
“Ahri,” a familiar man’s voice called.
She glanced over her shoulder and found Rafe coming through the short gate.
“Hey,” she said, glad to see his bright smile. “I’m surprised you’re not in a meeting. I swear you guys have more of them than I’ve ever seen anywhere I’ve worked.”
“That’s the collaborative nature of creative work.” He sat beside her on the bench and stretched his legs out in front of him. “How are you doing?”
“Getting a little acquainted with the area.” She stared off in the distance. “It’s pretty here, so green.”
“I asked howyou’redoing.”
Ahri looked at him, and her heart did a funny little twitch at the concern on his face.
“I’m still finding my way. Going a little stir crazy.”
“Have you heard anything from Zed?”
