NOVEL NEXT 224: Smells Like Fresh Mountain Streams
RORY
My eyes popped open, and I knew instantly why. A wind blew over my bare shoulders, and it was that cold night dry desert air. In my years away from Shurwinn, I'd forgotten what it was like to fall asleep with the windows open and wake up to a chilly breeze. I slipped outta bed on silent feet and gently lowered the window, but I didn't want to get back under the covers.
Yeah, Sly would miss me when he woke, but I wanted to let him sleep, and with the place so quiet, maybe I'd get some thinking done. The scent on that wind that had awakened me wasn't the fruity melons of Auntie Ryst, nope, it was someone I actually knew and hadn't felt often since he'd been gone. The sensation was hard to put into words, but was unmistakably my Uncle Euri.
His telepathy was like a cold mountain stream to me, pure and clear, refreshing. The sort of person that you always knew what you were getting when you encountered him. Loving, supportive, and, well, just clear. And yeah, that had a type of mental scent to it.
What words can describe it? "Smells like fresh mountain streams?" Pretty much. You got that? Crystal clear for ya?
So, Uncle Euri was on the breeze this morning, I thought to myself as I measured the coffee into the pot at Produced by Peydran's headquarters. It was downstairs below the rental apartments we were staying in.
The office was just as I remembered it, and even the coffee was still stocked with the best Shurwinn products. Ummm. Perfect morning smell. The ritual was comforting and familiar, and being back home felt good, especially since it was not quite dawn and everything was still quiet and settled with the stillness of night.
I opened my pad and started sorting through the open contracts and projects that were ongoing. There was staff to handle everything, of course, but what we didn't have was the leader for all of the teams. That would be my job until I decided if I wanted to hand the business over to Jiffer Sarwell.
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He was a good worker, reliable, and we'd collaborated on many projects through the years. In some ways, we'd practically grown up together, though he was five years younger than me. He could do the job of President, I had no doubt, but like me, he had other things competing for his time and attention, and I wasn't sure if he could devote the resources needed to run the whole business. Like me, he'd been working part-time for Produced by Peydran while he pursued other interests.
Flipping through all the current projects and everything that was coming down the pipeline, I felt reassured because the teams were managing all the details with the efficiency needed from such a business. There wasn't anything worrisome about the current state of affairs, so that was good news. All projects were on schedule to reach their projected targets.
I sighed in relief and poured a second cup of black coffee, enjoying the aroma, and then I felt the molasses presence of my husband's waking mind run down the back of my neck.
I smiled into my coffee. He got the idea of where I was and came down to meet me, so I handed him a cup, but he set it down and kissed my lips instead.
"Making me wake up cold and alone, baby? Cruel. We're on vacation. I had plans."
I laughed against his mouth and tasted the coffee on his tongue again. "Well, it looks like things are okay here, so we can go back upstairs."
"Teenagers are the best. They love sleepin' in."
So we snuck upstairs and had a good time, and Slydar was right about the kids. They didn't get up for hours, and by that time, I'd already finalized my business plan for the coming months and talked it through with Jiffer.
He wanted to take on more than I was expecting and planned to be fully moved into the headquarters in two weeks time. So, we agreed that I'd continue my plan to take on the Presidency for six months, but I'd be mostly a figurehead and support while he transitioned his life back to Shurwinn.
Good, that was good. I could enjoy touring my home sphere with my kids and not have to be weighed down by work the whole time. And that was what happened, mostly.
But kids are kids, and that means things happen sometimes that aren't so easy. 'Cuz while a lot of life is good memories and quiet magic, plenty of days aren't. I'm sorry to tell ya that one of those is comin' up, but hang in there, the story's all worth it.