Chapter 27

Saint Valentine's Office, Matters of the Heart, Fiftieth Floor, FGA Tower, New York City, New York, United States

The squirrel paused. Cut their eyes to Paris. Then pointed at Gen. "She doesn't know about me yet, does she?"

"The animal talks," Gen said, mostly to herself.

Paris sighed. "Well, she does now," she said to the squirrel. "I decided that my long-lost relative and I would get to know each other, maybe go to lunch and talk hobbies before I told her that my best friend had a tail and fleas."

"I don't have fleas," the squirrel replied, crossing his tiny arms in front of his chest, appearing offended. "I don't even climb trees."

"No, because of your seasonal allergies," Paris muttered, turning her attention to Gen, giving her a polite smile. She extended her arm to the talking squirrel. "This is Faraday and he is sort of, kind of, like my?—"

"Best friend," Gen offered, supplying the words she'd said before. "And my best friend has a tail too. Why didn't anyone tell me that about you?"

"Well, Faraday is sort of something you've got to see to believe," Paris explained. "You see, even in our world of magic, talking animals aren't really accepted. But it's sort of a Beaufont thing. You see, my mother, Liv has Plato. Have you met the all-knowing cat?"

Gen shook her head.

"Right," Paris chirped. "He'll show up when you least expect it. And I have Faraday who keeps me company by boring me with science."

"I educate you," he seethed.

"And Rose has Elvis, the Chinese dragon," Gen offered.

"Yes, but he's a chimera and you and Sophia have dragons, which everyone knows talk," Paris stated. "But regular animals who can talk are very rare and usually due to some strange magic. With Faraday, well, he's a magician who got himself trapped in this form and so here he remains. With Plato, well, no one knows his story and no one probably ever will. I think he's God who created Mama Jamba and Papa Creola and is plotting everything as an unsuspecting feline."

Gen shook her head, amazed. "Wow, our family is nuts. What's Clark's familiar, then?"

"He doesn't have one," Faraday replied, scurrying over and climbing onto the surface of the desk.

"He takes care of all of us," Paris said with a smile before looking down at the squirrel. "And what did you want? You're interrupting us, you know?"

"I'm sorry, but I did want to meet the infamous Genevieve Beaufont," the squirrel said, looking up at her. "I have so many questions about the medieval era. Science was just a budding flower then, about to spring open into a beautiful array of?—"

"Please stop your science poetry before I turn you into a scarf," Paris interrupted, teasingly threatening the squirrel. "What discovery have you made that you had to bore me with right now?"

"Oh, well, it's amazing! And I heard that you were looking for a business idea to help Gen fund something and I think this could be it," Faraday said, his brown eyes wide as his tail flickered behind him. "Recently, I became aware of a meteor that crashed near Los Angeles. I've been trying to pinpoint the location, but have been unable to identify where it was. But then I picked up on an alien signal that gave me clues about where it was. If I decode them then?—"

Paris snapped, cutting him off. "Make this relevant to us. How can this make Gen money?"

"Well, the meteor contains diamond-bearing dust," Faraday stated. "And if we venture out and find the crash site, then I can excavate the fragments. If I put it in a controlled, mine-like area, I believe that within hours we can grow real, authentic, flawless diamonds. Ones that would fool any jeweler and be worth thousands of dollars."

Paris slapped the desk, an excited look on her face. "Then we could turn the diamonds into engagement rings that men use to propose to women. And we could undercut the diamond and ring market, selling them at a fraction of the price. It would allow men who have been unable to afford engagement rings to propose and women who wanted the real deal to be proud. And then overnight, thousands of couples would be engaged and getting married, sending the love meter skyrocketing."

"Exactly!" Faraday yelped, excitedly. "It's a win-win-win scenario."

"I actually love this idea," Gen said, looking between the squirrel and Paris. "And all we have to do is find this meteor that crashed?"

"Yes, but it might be hard to locate and involve trespassing through some dangerous areas," Faraday explained. "But I know how to do it and I could assist you."

"And you can oversee growing the diamonds in a controlled environment here?" Paris asked.

He nodded. "Yes, and once I do, then you can get the investors."

Saint Valentine grinned. "That won't be a problem. We will make money so fast once we can offer authentic diamonds under market value. And they'll be easier to mine and solve the problems that have been associated with blood diamonds in the past. I really love this idea."

Gen wasn't sure about all of these details that were going over her head, but she'd get filled in later. For now, her gut was telling her this was exactly what she needed to do. It just felt right. It felt like a way to help the police, love and her cause. It felt like a way to do something for everyone.

"Okay, so where and how do we get started?" Gen asked, looking between Faraday and Paris.

"We go and find the meteor," Faraday replied with a grin. "I can help us locate it, but we'll need a way to fly."

She smiled wide. "I can help you there."