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“Should we return to our seats?” she asked.
“Too dangerous. We can’t have one of us getting injured.”
Her body shook with her laughter. “What if we tumble out of bed?”
“I’ll break our fall.”
“Thanks, Magnet.”
“Anytime.” I kissed her forehead.
“I mean for not staying in Shere.”
“It’s my pleasure, Schön.”
“Does anyone ever call you Justin?”
“Besides Aunt Gertrude?”
She giggled. “Yeah, besides her.”
“My parents do, and sometimes, my brother does.”
“I don’t have siblings.”
While I already knew she didn’t, I sensed she wanted to talk about it, so I squeezed her a little and kept quiet.
“I always wished I had an older sister.”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe things would’ve been a bit easier if I had.”
“Someone to look out for you?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Not a brother?”
Schön shook her head. “A brother would’ve beaten up boys he thought were bothering me. I needed help with the girls.”
“Ones like Ehren?”
“Yes and no. I mean, at least she had a reason for disliking me. Even though it was terribly misguided. The man—her asset—would’ve gotten her killed.”
“You said that previously. What makes you believe so?”
“He was that bad of a guy.”
“And rather than thank you for possibly saving her life, she blamed you for the loss of him. Thank goodness you’ve seen the last of her.”
Schön shuddered.
“What?” I asked.
“Something tells me I haven’t.” She was thoughtful for a minute. “There was someone else. A woman who became a mentor to me.”
“Tell me about her.”