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Beck
And she still has all her limbs and is otherwise unhurt after that masterclass you undoubtedly led?
Luna
Maybe.
Not comforting. But she was a responsible adult, and I knew she could handle my daughter. I trusted her with that even if she didn’t trust herself.
I finished up a few calls and reviewed Margot’s extraction plan, making sure I’d have Margot’s replacement in country within the next few hours. With that in as good of a place as it was going to get, I finally left the office.
Ping.
Speaking of…
Luna sent a photo. I opened my text messages to find a photo of Alice sound asleep on the couch even though it was still early afternoon. Her curly hair was a mess across her face, and a plush black-and-white checkered blanket covered her body.
Luna
She crashed after eating her bodyweight in chocolate. That’s what you’re supposed to serve kids that aren’t your own, right? Lots of sugary goodness so that they’re great for their parents.
Beck
I doubt you keep enough sugar in your house to make her crash. But thanks for the proof-of-life photo. I appreciate that.
Luna
I made her watch Persuasion with me. I think the British accent is what did her in.
Beck
Undoubtedly.
My fingers hovered over the send button. I tapped it, closing the phone and tossing it on the seat next to me. I wanted to ask so many more questions of the woman that left me hanging after that perfect night together.
When she had reappeared in my life a few months ago, it felt like a sign. Like we were drawn back together for a reason after all these years.
And now the perfect one-night stand was now my next-door neighbor.
Before I knew what I was doing, my phone was back in my hands, our text thread on my screen.
I typed and deleted and retyped half a dozen variations of the questions that had haunted me over these past eight years.
Maybe I wasn’t the only one, because when I paused my typing the dots danced. Bouncing up and down before disappearing. Then they’d start their dance again.
Again, they stopped.
It was a fucking tease.
Beck
I’m ten minutes away.
Luna
Good.
Beck