Trevor cleared his mind and looked up.
“Hello, Thomas. What can I do for you?”
He frowned.
“All right, Trevor? You look a little pale.”
“No. I’m fine. What can I do for you?”
“This, actually.” Thomas held out a long, slender case. “You asked me to run Ana’s birthday gift past you. I wonder if you might have a look.”
Trevor called it: The man did indeed go shopping on his day off. Trevor flipped open the lid.
Painted rocks.
Thomas said, “I recall you once saying Ana built a collection of rocks from the planets where her mother had diplomatic missions. I thought that was ... charming. I happened to see these in a gift shop today. I don’t know what planets she already has, but these are painted so beautifully. I thought perhaps she’d enjoy them.”
Trevor didn’t know all the worlds, either. It was irrelevant. Effie brought home unadorned stones. These were polished and hand-painted with wildlife scenes.
I’ll be damned.
He had no choice but to admit the truth:
“This is very thoughtful, Thomas. Very thoughtful. My daughter will love it.”
Thomas let out a deep breath.
“Excellent. I’d hate having to return them. I’ll make a point of sending around a dataflick to the team today, and perhaps Shireena will take it to the party.”
“It’s a plan. Thank you again, Thomas. I appreciate you taking the trouble.”
“No problem at all, Trevor. Your family has shown me nothing but kindness. Good day.”
Something in the tone betrayed the message. Just when Trevor thought he’d seen a hidden side to the bastard, along came a rehearsed line.
Your family has shown me nothing but kindness.
Interesting. Ana met him what? A few times when Trevor brought her to work with him. They exchanged what? Eight or ten words.
And Effie? Huh. Would she even recognize Thomas in a crowd?
Sonofabitch.
Still, it was a nice present. Trevor damned well wasn’t in position to reverse course. Thomas needed to believe no one suspected him.
Let it go, jackass. There’s more important matters.
He skimmed the opening remarks and handed the tablet to Andreas.
“Looks good. Forward it to the clerk.”
“Perfect, Governor.” As Trevor headed to his office, Andreas added, “Since the committee is running behind, and I know you enjoy a lengthy lunch, should I reschedule your fit room time?”
“Leave it. Better yet, why don’t you take a long lunch? It might be against your personal ethos, but it’s in the job description. You’re owed an hour. Feel free to take it now.”
Andreas had a habit of scratching under his chin whenever he was confused. Trevor didn’t hang around for a resolution.
He found Cho and Ren deep in debate.
“Have you made a decision?”
Ren nodded.
“We’re willing to let go, but we’re worried.”
Cho stepped forward.
“We’re in love, Trevor. Ren and I have known for weeks, but we couldn’t say the words until just now. We think it’s because of this ... the Enzathi.”
Trevor shut her down.
“I see where you’re headed. You think your feelings will change if you give up the fragments. Yes?” When neither denied it, he continued. “The Enzathi doesn’t know what love is. It barely has a grasp on human emotions of any kind. If you’re truly in love, this will change nothing. And you’ll be set free like the others.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Ren said. “But we wouldn’t have found each other without Mau Ping. We’re worried, Trevor. You see that.”
He dove into the deep end.
“I do, Ren. Look, I used to think love wasn’t for me. Then I met Effie. She changed my life. What we had is gone now, but not our daughter, and not the memories. So we’ll always have a certain type of love for each other. There are no guarantees. It’s been seven months. You need to take a leap of faith. Today.”
