Chapter Seven

SEVEN

China Christian caught Azelie's hand as she made her way to the counter at the coffee shop. "Tell us. We're dying to know. We know you went out on a date with Mr. Hottie. Sit here, honey. We've waited for days ."

Blanc Christian nodded. "At our age, that kind of anticipation could take years off our lives, and we can't afford it. I'll get your drink, and you just park yourself right here."

Penny Atwater patted the chair beside her. "We snagged the best table so the four of us could sit together."

"Did you have out-of-this-world wild sex?" China persisted.

"China Annabelle Christian," Blanc chided, sounding shocked. Then she leaned forward. "Well, did you? Was he to die for?"

"Is he as good in the sack as he looks like he would be?" Penny asked, her voice a little breathless.

"I am not the kind of woman to kiss and tell." Azelie did her best to keep laughter from bubbling to the surface, but it was impossible when the three women looked so crestfallen.

"I'm getting her drink," Blanc said, rising. "Sister, you work on her. I'll never be able to sleep again if she doesn't give us the 411."

Azelie laughed. "You three are horrible."

"No, dear." Penny shook her head solemnly. "We need to live vicariously through you."

China's eyes were dancing with glee. "It's so true, Azelie. I was a beauty in my younger years and could have my pick of men. Your Andrii would have been my number one choice. I would have done anything to make him mine."

Blanc had hurried back after putting in the order for Azelie's coffee. "What did I miss? Seriously, Azelie, I can't afford to lose any more sleep over this. I know you gave Shaila a big box and asked her to hold it for your man. He came in a couple of days ago to retrieve the box."

"We begged Shaila to open it and peek inside," China continued. "She wouldn't do it."

"I even tried to bribe her and David," Penny admitted. "They said absolutely not."

"I'll have to thank them for keeping my confidence," Azelie said, using her primmest tone. "At least they have morals when it comes to other people's business."

Blanc wasn't in the least offended. She waved her hand in the air as if shooing away a bothersome fly. "Morals be damned," she stated. "You have to live this life, Azelie. Grab on with both hands. That man is the kind of man who will give you hell, but hold on tight to him because the dance will be worth it."

"Or he's the kind of man who will cut out your heart and leave you with nothing." Azelie shared her worst fear. "I don't have it in me to go from man to man. And he isn't the kind of man who can leave a woman unscathed if he left, at least a woman like me."

There was a small silence while the merry widows digested that information. It was the most information about herself she'd confided to the women in all the years she'd been coming to the coffee shop. They seemed to be taken aback by her revelation.

Shaila called out Azelie's name. Blanc immediately rose and hurried to the counter to get the iced latte that they all knew was Azelie's favorite drink. Azelie had cash out to pay her back for the coffee, but Blanc shoved it back across the table at her.

"You buy us coffee often," Blanc said firmly. "I think we can afford to buy yours once in a while."

"Are you afraid of Andrii?" China asked gently. There was no hint of amusement in her tone. She was very serious.

"No, not like that. I think it's possible he would hurt someone if he thought they were upsetting me. He's a little on the overprotective side. But…" She trailed off.

The three women waited, showing extraordinary patience when Azelie hadn't realized they were capable of such a thing. All three had sobered at her confession. A part of her felt warm and wished she had been able to connect with them on a more personal level sooner.

"Tell us, dear," Penny insisted. "You have us to look out for you."

The Christian sisters nodded in agreement. "We're very experienced," China added. "Between the three of us and the era we grew up in, we've seen and become very knowledgeable about the ways of men. And we're very good at confidentiality, despite the teasing we just subjected you to. What you tell us remains with us."

Azelie gripped the latte. Her reluctance wasn't about trust. She had come to know the three women fairly well, at least their character, and she was certain they would always act with her best interests at heart. She had observed them for a long time and knew the affectionate way they teased one another. She was grateful that she was considered their friend. Her reluctance was about getting too close. Caring too much. Putting them in danger. Losing them.

Blanc leaned close to her. "We might be as old as dirt, Azelie, but our minds are sharp. We're always going to be on your side."

"You can't be so nice to me," she said. "I mean it. I act tough, but I'm not."

The three women burst into radiant smiles. It was Penny who addressed that statement. "Dear, we are very aware of what a soft heart you have. Why do you think we're so protective of you? I always wanted a daughter—or, in your case, a granddaughter. I have neither. I lost the love of my life long before we ever thought of making babies together. There was never another man for me, at least not one I wanted permanently in my life."

China patted her hand. "Do you know why I was named China and my sister Blanc? Our parents were addicted to heroin. They thought it would be hilarious to name their children after their drug of choice. In those days there weren't many protections for children, certainly not the way there are now."

A fist of apprehension knotted in Azelie's stomach. Pressure was suddenly severe in her chest. She had suffered intense trauma, and it had been very public in the news. Her brother-in-law murdered his wife and children and attempted to murder her as well. There had even been accounts of her mother's abuse, done in her drunken rages. They knew. These women who had never once indicated they knew who she was, had never brought up her past.

"Our parents ‘gifted' us to their drug dealer," Blanc disclosed, and reached for her sister's hand. Penny laid her hand on Blanc's shoulder. "That abuse started when China was twelve and I was eleven. It didn't end until Penny's father stepped in. He was in law enforcement, and Penny told him what was going on. By that time, we were fourteen and fifteen." She glanced at Penny and blinked away tears.

"We rarely talk about it," China said. "Penny's father died saving us. She has forgiven us, but to this day we find it difficult to forgive ourselves."

"There was nothing to forgive," Penny interjected. "I was the one who went to my father and told him how your parents treated you. I told him about the drug dealer and the arrangement with your parents. He was horrified. He took it upon himself to investigate. Those were our choices, not yours."

Azelie's heart felt as if it were pounding out of her chest. Her mouth had gone dry. There was a lump in her throat making it difficult to breathe.

"Our parents found out about the raid, that it was going to take place. We were both with the dealer," China continued. "My father had a friend in the department, one who more than once had exchanged information for us. He called my father and asked for us in exchange for date and time of the raid. My parents rushed to inform their dealer. They wanted to take us home quickly so they wouldn't lose their prize possessions in making money for their drugs."

"How terrible," Azelie murmured. She pressed her hand over her aching heart. "I've never understood how people can abuse their children that way. My mother beat me and more than once threatened me with a knife, but I don't think she considered selling me. She did see me as a rival for men's affections. I was lucky to have Janine, my older sister."

"We didn't have anyone, not a single relative," Blanc added in a hoarse whisper. She cleared her throat. "When our parents arrived, pounding on the door, at first Marty, that was the dealer's name, refused to answer. He was furious that they would bother him when he and his customers were having fun with us. There was a lot of shouting back and forth. Swearing. Marty even shot at the door. My parents had weapons, and they shot back through the door. At that point, Marty dragged China away from one of his men and put her in front of him as a shield."

"Blanc was screaming at Marty to let me go. Marty had three men with him and four customers. Chaos ensued when he finally yanked open the door and my parents were pointing guns at him and he was pointing guns at them and his soldiers were yelling that they'd heard our dad say the cops were on their way," China said.

"Then the cops were in the house, and Marty opened fire on them," Blanc continued in a much stronger voice. "They broke in through the back and kitchen doors."

She reminded Azelie of herself and the way she distanced herself if she had to repeat the story of her brother-in-law massacring her family. Azelie felt more connected than ever to the three women, and she felt privileged that they were telling her of their past when they didn't have to.

"Our parents forgot all about Marty keeping me in front of him as a shield," China continued. "They opened fire on the cops. I saw Blanc go down to the floor with blood on her chest. I thought she was dead. Marty's men stepped on her and kicked her when they ran. Our father went down and then our mother. Marty kept firing at the cops. The sound of his gun was so loud by my ear I couldn't hear anything."

Subconsciously, she rubbed at her ear, and then she hugged herself. "I was certain I would die, and it didn't matter if Marty shot me. Someone was going to sooner or later, and I didn't want to live without Blanc. I fought Marty, throwing off his aim. I was able to break away but ran right between Marty's men and the cops, with both sides firing. Penny's father jumped out of the line of cops and tackled me, but he was hit from both sides."

Azelie heard the sob in her voice, but China kept it together. Penny put her hand on China's shoulder.

"He saved my life, Penny," China whispered.

"I know he did. He was a man everyone looked up to for a reason. He wanted you to live. You and Blanc."

"And your mother…" China broke off with a little shake of her head. She lifted her fingers to her trembling mouth. "She was the most extraordinary woman I've ever met. Bar none, the most extraordinary."

Blanc nodded her agreement. "She took us in when no one would. She claimed it would be a temporary shelter, but she gave us the first real home we'd ever had." She lifted her gaze to Penny's. "She would sit on our beds with Penny when we had nightmares. She rocked us like we were babies and told us nothing was our fault, and we were worth everything. She believed that, and she made us believe it."

"Her name was Annabelle Foster, and we both took her name for our middle names," China continued. "We wanted to honor her. She knew a judge who made our name changes legal."

"My middle name is also Annabelle," Penny added. "Her name ties us together as sisters. Maybe not by blood, but of the heart."

"That's so incredible. I wish I'd had the opportunity to know her," Azelie said, meaning it. "Thank you for giving me such a gift as sharing your past."

"It's important that you know you can trust us, Azelie," Blanc said. "Obviously, we read about you in the papers, just like most of the people here in San Francisco. It was all over the news. We don't want you to feel alone."

"If Annabelle were here right now, she would tell you that you deserve to live your life," China assured her. "She would tell you that you took a tremendous knockout, but standing up and getting on with your life honors the ones you lost."

"She believed everything she said to us," Penny said. "She drilled it into the three of us that life is to be lived. To be experienced. It isn't always easy, but when it's right, it's a thrill ride."

"She also told us to be brave, to reach out to others worthy of our friendship with an open heart," Blanc added. "Her advice has never steered us wrong. You have a good heart, Azelie. You also need to trust your instincts. What do they say about Andrii?"

She put her latte down and tried to answer honestly. "Everything in me wants to be with him. I'm afraid though. I don't know what he sees in me. When we're together and he's talking to me, it's almost overwhelming how drawn I am to him. I fell too far too fast. I can't seem to help myself when I'm around him. I think I'm going to throw him out, but he starts talking in that voice he has, and I'm totally mesmerized." She took a deep breath and made her confession. "I can't help but want to make him happy."

Penny frowned. "You want to make him happy. Does he feel the same way? Does he try to make you happy?"

"He's spoiling me. If he takes me somewhere, he thinks he has to bring me clothes and shoes and jewelry. He brought the most beautiful coat I've ever seen. When I wanted to pay for it, he was upset with me. I don't want him to think he has to buy me things. I'm not interested in him for his money."

"That was the box you had Shaila and David hold for him," Blanc guessed. "The clothes and jewelry were inside."

Azelie nodded. "I felt I couldn't keep them. He wasn't happy. He showed up with more gifts."

"Dear," Penny leaned close to whisper. "Did you tell him you were interested in having sex with him?"

Azelie felt color creeping under her skin. "Unfortunately, he can read me like a book. Seriously. I look at him and melt. There isn't any hiding that."

"Does he take proper care of you in bed?" China asked. "If he's selfish, end it, honey, no matter how much you're into him. He needs to be more interested than you are."

"Sadly, I don't think that's possible," Azelie confessed. "I tried to tell him there were hundreds of reasons why we shouldn't be together, but he countered every one of them."

"He knows his own mind. That's good," Penny said. "You want a man who knows what he wants. Too many men are always looking for something shiny and new. Or they are ‘finding themselves.' You'd think at a certain age they would know what they want and who they are."

"Penny, dear," Blanc said gently. "You mustn't be bitter."

"I'm grateful the old codger found himself with a younger woman," Penny said. "Fourteen years of cooking and picking up after him, watching him quit job after job because he decided he wasn't appreciated, it got old fast."

"Your husband left you for a younger woman?"

"He didn't want to leave. He wanted an open marriage, so I'd continue to support him while he ran around finding himself. What he didn't realize was I was happy to see him go. Happy to let his car model pick up after him. He was going through his photography phase, and clearly, she thought he had money. He didn't. I do really recommend prenups. Especially the cheating clause."

"She had to prove he cheated in court," China said. "He was ridiculous enough to demand a court ruling on the prenup. Sadly for him, his cheating was very blatant. He went to hotels and was photographed because his little darling wanted the publicity. They were caught in compromising situations several times."

"I'm so sorry, Penny," Azelie murmured. "I don't have words."

"I'm not. Truly. That's why I say trust your instincts. If I'd followed mine, I wouldn't have wasted so many years with him. Right from the beginning I knew he was a worm, but I was certain he would blossom into a wonderful man." She gave a snort of self-derision. "Once I shed that snake, I had the time of my life. I just followed my mother's advice and stood back up, more determined than ever to live my life fully. I grabbed on with both hands and I rarely looked back."

"That's when she acquired all her excellent knowledge of men and their various kinks," Blanc said solemnly. "If you need answers to any question regarding sex, just ask Penny."

Rather than take offense, Penny laughed, breaking the tension that had built up with the revelations the Christian sisters had made.

"I became an official groupie for an entire summer, following a very popular band around. It was the most fun I'd had in years." There wasn't a sign of remorse in her voice or her expression.

"You refer to yourselves as the merry widows," Azelie pointed out. "But it sounds as if you didn't lose your husband to death."

The three women exchanged a long, amused look and then burst into laughter. Penny nearly knocked over her coffee, she was laughing so hard.

"I'm officially a merry widow because I killed my husband off in fifty clever ways without actually killing him. It was an amazing journey of retribution and recovery. It was China's idea."

China nodded. "We played a game thinking up heinous ways to do in cheating husbands, wrote the ideas down and burned them in a solemn ceremony. When we reached fifty, we were feeling quite merry. Hence the name."

The women burst into laughter again, and Azelie joined them. "How do you top that?"

"Now we play cards with Doug Parsons and Carlton Gray," China said. "Neither one of them is anywhere near as good as we are, but we let them win unless money is on the table."

"Once Doug had a little too much to drink and wanted to play strip poker," Penny said and burst out laughing all over again at the memory. "We made sure he lost every hand."

"I'm sitting at a table with some badass women," Azelie declared.

"You're one of those badass women," China said. "You just have to believe in yourself."

Azelie glanced down at her watch. "I have to catch the bus. I don't want to be late for class. I have a very tight schedule today."

"Promise you'll talk to us later," Blanc said. "We want to know you're safe. And happy."

"We mostly want you to know we're here for you," Penny said.

Azelie shrugged into her backpack and caught up the latte. "Thank you all. I'll see you later." She didn't have too much time before the bus would show up. Hurrying along the street toward the bus stop, to her dismay, she spotted Alan Billows in his sporty little BMW. He was parked directly across from the bus stop, talking on his cell phone.

As Azelie approached the corner, Billows looked up and beckoned to her. She shook her head and indicated her watch and then the bus stop.

Billows scowled darkly at her. "Get in the damn car, Azelie. I don't have all fucking day to wait around for you. I'll drive you to school."

"I have to take the bus." That sounded lame even to her own ears. She tried to look calm and all smiles as she waved to him.

"Azelie?" A woman's voice had her spinning around. The woman was tall and curvy, absolutely gorgeous with her sleek, shining black hair, perfect skin, dark eyes and lush lips. "I'm sorry I was late." She winked at her. "We have time to study on the bus together."

She came close. "I've seen you around the campus. Is that man bothering you?" She whispered the question, her back to Billows.

The last thing Azelie wanted to do was to have this woman who was trying to help get on Billows' radar. He could be ugly and vindictive when he didn't get his way.

Azelie hastily texted Billows that her study partner was there, and they'd planned to ride the bus together to work on their project. Billows didn't answer, but roared off, his expression a mask of fury.

"Thanks," Azelie said, meaning it. "I'm Azelie Vargas."

"Lana Popov," the woman introduced herself. "I have seen you around a couple of times, although I don't think we have any classes together."

Azelie would have remembered her. The woman was gorgeous. Perfect hair, skin, teeth, figure. Azelie couldn't find a single flaw in her. Lana made her feel a little mousy. The bus drove up and the door opened. Both women climbed on, Lana following Azelie to one of the middle-row seats.

"Should you have called the police?" Lana asked. "Is he some kind of stalker?"

Azelie considered how best to answer. The woman had been kind to a stranger. She had deliberately pretended they were friends because she thought Azelie was in danger. She didn't want to lie to Lana, but she didn't want her probing any deeper. It was never a good thing to get on Alan Billows' radar.

"No, he's just the most annoying boss in the world." Azelie kept her tone light, as if Billows amused her. "He doesn't understand the concept of days off."

Lana laughed. "I know a few people like that. Obsessed with work."

"I keep telling him the days I have school. He agreed to let me have those days off, but now he wants me to come work whenever it suits him." Azelie heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Really, thanks again for rescuing me. It was quick thinking."

"I sent up a prayer to the universe that you wouldn't ask me who the hell I was. You're quick on the uptake."

"You threw a lifeline, and I caught it. He would have made me late for my class, and I have an important test first thing. I don't want to miss taking it. The policy is that if you fail, no makeup unless by prearrangement."

"Harsh," Lana said. "I'm glad I'm not in that class."

Ordinarily, Azelie would have smiled at her and turned away, content to be quiet and turn inward, fearful of having friends in her life. But Lana's laughter, the cool confidence she exuded as well as what appeared to be genuine friendliness had Azelie wanting to follow the merry widows' advice. She wanted friends. She wanted to be connected to others. Now was the time; all the signs seemed to point in that direction.

"What are you majoring in?" That seemed a safe enough question. If Lana asked her, she could talk about how her brain was always so conflicted.

"Fashion design. I particularly enjoy designing unique articles of clothing for young teens, ones that are misfits in school and don't have much. My goal would be to sell high-end to those who can afford it and make clothes to give to teens at a nominal fee or be able to waive the money altogether."

Azelie was impressed. "That's amazing. Really amazing. I swear, if you ever get your business off the ground and need backers, I'll find a way to help you, even if I have to take out a personal loan. That's a very worthwhile ambition. I'm good with numbers; I could do your books for free or something just to help you out."

She meant it too. Every single word. She wrote down her name and cell phone number. "Stay in touch with me and hopefully you achieve exactly what you envision."

Lana accepted the Post-it Note and put it in her backpack. "Thank you. I intend to make my business a success. It's nice to hear that someone else thinks it's a good idea."

"It's a great idea," Azelie enthused.

"What are you majoring in?" Lana asked.

"Not something that will help others the way you plan to do—certainly not that concrete of an idea. I love to tell stories. I want to get better at that craft, but I do have a weird brain. I see in patterns, in numbers, so logic is always at war with my creativity."

"Words can be very powerful. Stories touch people and seem to find the ones who need to hear them. I love to read. It's one thing I'm passionate about," Lana said. "I like happy endings, even if the stories involve murder and mayhem. I never want the hero or heroine to cheat, and I have to have a romance in the story. Seriously, the authors I read bring all kinds of real-life issues to their stories. They've helped me, and I can't imagine that they aren't helping others."

"I prefer writing romance for those very reasons," Azelie said. "I detest stories where the man's wife is a nag and unattractive to him, and his mistress is awesome. I want to show that men and women can live together and love each other while going through years of ups and downs. That a wife can be sexy and loving, and the man can think she's attractive even when she's nine months pregnant or just had the baby and is exhausted every minute of the day."

Lana gave her a high-wattage smile. "See, you do have lofty goals. I'll be purchasing your books one day."

The bus lumbered to a stop, the doors opening. Azelie glanced at her watch. "I've got to run, but hopefully I'll see you again soon. Thanks again for your help today."

Sprinting across the parklike campus, she contemplated what the merry widows had told her about living life. About standing back up after getting knocked down. They certainly had stood back up again and made the most of their lives, even to the point of making tragedy in the form of cheating husbands humorous.

She made a vow to herself she would take more chances. That meant she would give herself into the relationship with Andrii without reservation. She was an all-or-nothing person, and if she committed to him—to them—she would go all in. That meant trusting him. The idea was frightening and yet exhilarating.

There was something about Andrii besides his blatant sex appeal that called to her. She caught glimpses of a man who had seen too much, been through too much. He knew firsthand what real trauma was. There was wariness in his eyes at times when he looked at her.

She had no doubt that he desired her and he'd made up his mind to have her, but a part of him was worried that she might shatter his heart. He was doing his best to go slow and guard his heart. Although, she found herself a little amused and hugging the knowledge to herself that his going slow was like a bowling ball being hurtled down the alley straight at her. Their ideas of slow were two different things.

Her classes seemed to fly by. Probably because she was testing, and she found the material interesting. At her lunch break, she made her way outside. Even when it was cold or foggy, she preferred to get out of the building and be outside. Today was a glorious day in San Francisco. The weather was perfect. The sun was out and there was a small breeze rather than a roaring wind.

As she approached the small grove of trees she had found that gave her some privacy, she was shocked to see Andrii sitting on the bench surrounded by what appeared to be take-out bags. The wonderful aroma of Thai food made her stomach growl. She halted a few feet from him, but he stood, towering above her, coming straight to her.

"What are you doing here?"

"You said you didn't have time to get food between classes. If you're taking tests all day, you need fuel. I brought you fuel." He flashed a grin that sent her heart into overdrive. "Thai. I think you mentioned you liked Thai on our first date."

He continued to advance until their bodies were so close his scent surrounded her, drowning out the Thai, the sea, the flowers and trees. All she could do was inhale deeply and take him into her lungs. He was potent. An aphrodisiac. There was no resisting the man, not when everything about him appealed to her. Not when their chemistry was so off the charts, she felt electrical sparks leaping back and forth between them.

Andrii cupped her face between his palms. One thumb slid in a caress over her jaw, tracing her bone. A shiver of awareness slid down her spine. She couldn't find her voice; she could only stare rather helplessly up at him. Then the pad of his thumb slid over her lower lip and his eyes darkened to that sensual gray that caused a mini-explosion in her sex.

She wasn't a sexual person. At least she'd never believed she was. She thought about sex, imagined and fantasized, but she didn't have reactions to men. Standing in front of Andrii with the tips of her breasts pressed into his chest, she had a major reaction, and there was no hiding her arousal from him.

"Babe, you see me, what do you do?" He murmured the question, his tone as mesmerizing as he was.

She blinked rapidly, hoping to activate her brain cells. He induced brain fog, smothering all rational thought so she was reduced to a mass of overactive sexual cells.

"Babe?" he encouraged.

"Melt at your feet." Her hand came up to cover her mouth. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" Sadly, she knew she sounded and looked breathless because he robbed her of her ability to breathe.

"It isn't safe for you to be so fuckin' adorable, Zelie. Or sexy. Not here where we're out in the open, and I have to protect you from me."

"Protect me?" She echoed his declaration like a parrot. She was stuck on adorable and sexy. "I think it's okay not to protect me from you." If he meant more kisses, she was all for that.

Andrii shook his head, his expression soft. "I'm going to kiss you because I have to. I spent all night thinking of you. When I finally fell asleep, I dreamt of you."

Her stomach did a slow roll. He was such a beautiful man. He might think he wasn't, but she knew he was. She saw inside to the heart of him.

"I dreamt of you too," she admitted, feeling the color rising under her skin and sweeping up her neck into her face.

His eyes went soft, adding another loop to the roller coaster that was her stomach. He bent his head to hers and took her mouth. She melted into him just as she had when he'd kissed her before. When he kissed her, the entire world changed. Shadows receded. Colors grew more vivid. Lightning and thunder mixed with explosive, colorful fireworks. She came alive, her entire body on fire, melting into his.

"We're stopping," he said gruffly. "It's the only safe thing to do." He took her hand and led her beneath a tree where he'd set out a blanket to cover the ground. "What kind of dreams did you have about me, baby?"

She was still caught in the foggy brain induced by his kisses and stupidly answered, "Erotic dreams." The moment the truth slipped out, she clapped her hand over her mouth as if she could take it back. It was mortifying to know she had no control around him.

He flashed a grin at her, one that was truly heart-stopping. He had to stop, or she wouldn't be able to concentrate on her next test—she'd be too busy daydreaming about him.

"I'm certain your dreams were pretty tame when compared to mine." He indicated for her to sit on the blanket, then he dropped down beside her and placed the white carrying bags between them. "We aren't discussing our dreams while you eat your lunch because if we do that neither of us is going to be worth shit the rest of the day."

That was so true. Azelie nodded her understanding and concentrated her attention on the white boxes he pulled from the bags. The aroma made her stomach growl in anticipation.

"You said these tests were important. So, fuel first. You don't have much time, and it's important for you to eat."

Her heart contracted, and that roller coaster in her stomach was on full loops. He was such a sweet man. The best of the best. She had no idea how she'd gotten so lucky, but she was going to give him everything he ever wanted or needed.

She sent him one emotion-laden look from under her lashes. "Don't ever tell me you aren't a good man, Andrii. Not ever again."

He flashed her another one of his heart-stopping grins. "Doesn't mean we aren't going to be discussing dreams in the future, Zelie. We're just putting that on pause for today."

He handed her a box of the most delicious Thai shrimp, along with chopsticks. She sat in the sun with him, fueling for her tests and enjoying every bite. It was perfection.