"Yeah."
"What's up? Did I say something wrong?"
"No. It's just—I don't even know when her birthday is."
Ollie chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough." He turned to glance at Reaves. "I mean, she's staying now, right?"
"I hope so."
"I do too. And seeing the three of you together, I don't think you have anything to worry about. You're like a little family unit already."
He smiled again at that. "Yeah. I guess we are. But it'll take her some time to get used to the idea."
"There's no rush now, is there? She’s figured out what’s going on with her health-wise, and she's getting back on track there."
"She is, and that reminds me — I've been meaning to ask. Is Zia covered under Alara's health insurance, or just Alara?"
"Do you really need to ask me that question?"
Reaves let out a short laugh. "I guess I don’t, do I?"
"No. It’s something I made sure was in place for everyone who’s on the payroll, their insurance covers their family. But back to Alara. Is she settled at your dad's place?"
"Yeah."
"Why do you sound so hesitant?"
"Because she is, but it's not ideal. Not long term. I mean—Dad loves having them there. I love that they're around. But if we're going to be a real little family, we're going to want our own place. And my apartment's not exactly Zia-friendly, is it?"
"So, you figure something out. You guys can get a place of your own."
Reaves nodded slowly. "Yeah. I guess we can." He didn’t know how long it would be before Alara would even consider that. One thing he knew for certain was that he hated the idea of her and Zia going back in the camper.
"Oh, and before we get into this meeting—have you thought any more about what we talked about? About maybe giving up the job?"
"I've given it a lot of thought, Ollie, and I’m going to have to do it. What about you?"
"I feel the same way. And I meant what I said—to me, when I talk about flying, I mean flying with you. If you're out, I'm out."
"I'm out. But I don't want to be completely out. I need to step up for Dad, but I don't want to say I'll never fly again."
"We're on the same page, as usual. I've been thinking about that. If we tell Bentley we're ready to step down, we can find a new crew for him. And we can tell him—and Jacob, for that matter—that we're happy to stand in whenever the new crew, or Trick and Elliott, need time off. How does that sound?"
Reaves smiled at him. "That sounds pretty damn good to me. If it works for you."
"I wouldn't have suggested it if it didn't."
"But what are you going to do with yourself?" Reaves asked. "Callie won't want you under her feet the whole time."
"No. But like I said, I'd love to help out at your dad's place, if you want me. You've never run a business before. I figure you might want a second-in-command."
Reaves laughed. "You've never run a business before either."
"Exactly. But between us, we can figure it out." Ollie came to a stop at the gates to the DuPont estate and turned to smile at Reaves while they waited for them to open. "Your dad's always treated me like family. And you know I see you guys that way. I admire what you want to do, and I know you can do it; I'm not saying you can't. I just think it'd be easier if we're in it together." He punched Reaves's shoulder. "And besides, I'd miss you too much otherwise."
"Yeah, I'd miss you too, bud." Reaves cocked an eyebrow. "If you really want to do this, do you want to sit in on the meeting with Sterling Hartman with me in a couple of weeks?"
"Sure. In fact, I think I might come in useful to you there."
