Page 63 of Out of Sight

She walked up to him and hugged him. “Thank you. Send them in.”

He grinned. “Having fun?”

“I am feeling more like me, but I have to boot them out by nine. I have an early day tomorrow.”

“Do you think you can sleep?”

“Can you sleep with all the setups you gave me?”

“Yes. I may reach for you in the night.”

“I may reprogram the songs on your phone.”

He smiled. “Fair enough.”

She laughed and stroked his back. “Send Ted in with whichever auntie she brought along.”

She dried her counter and got two kits out. Everything was back where it started, and she was smiling when Ted came in and blinked at the familiar face that arrived with her.

Ted hugged her. “You are looking solid.”

“Thank you. I work out.”

Lady Olyna looked around the little salon and smiled. “This was put together for you?”

“Yes. I made the list, and he went nuts with it while I slept.”

Lady Olyna smiled. “That is a good thing. It is very impersonal, though.”

“It’s my first day back with fingers. I am willing to pace myself.”

Ted smiled. “Ready for tiny robots?”

“Oh, yeah. How long do you want your nails?”

“Give me a half-inch tip oval shape.”

“Yes, Ted. Base colour?”

Ted pursed her lips. “Sparkly blue?”

“Nice. Soak your hands and assume the position.”

Ted cackled, and Lady Olyna sat next to her.

“What do you want, Auntie?”

Olyna looked at her. “I want an analysis on why my polish keeps chipping.”

“Okay. I can do that while her first layers are curing.”

Ted smiled, her fingers were dried, and Lucia got to work. While Lucia filed and shaped the nails, she asked, “Auntie, why are you here today?”

“I want to speak to you on behalf of the family. Anya’s children don’t want her to commit to you, but she feels different.”

“I don’t need commitment. I needed to know where I stand, and now I know it is miles away from family.”

Olyna sighed as the length was arranged with gel, and the UV light was put over Ted’s first hand. “I offered because, until recently, my entire family was under a curse. My youngest mate’s mother put a curse on them to make them the most favoured of my children. Friends of Nora broke that curse, and we are slowly spinning into the new situation. One of my granddaughters has wings; another was nearly destroyed as a teen before I even met her. We have had many changes, and there is always a time of silence after each new shock. Your family is in shock. Not only was their most visible member missing and no one remembered, but their least visible family member disappeared, and no one noticed. There is a lot of guilt with that. I am still dealing with the guilt of the curse that no one noticed for over forty years.”