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  She gave them a great big smile at her brilliance.

  “It’s lovely,” Jill said. She hugged and kissed Valerie. “Thank you, and thank Roman.”

  With her words, Roman came out from the back. He gave them a quick tour of the space, and they were appropriately fawning. When Valerie finally pulled Roman away, Jacob pulled out a seat for Jill at the table. He poured her a glass of champagne and one for himself before sitting down.

  “To us!” he said.

  They lifted their glasses and clinked before taking a sip.

  “I’m starving,” Jill said.

  “Me, too!” Jacob said with a smile.

  He looked around. Next to the table was a cooler. He opened it to find two more bottles of champagne. He sniffed the air.

  “I smell something,” he said.

  “Me, too,” Jill said.

  He got up and looked around. Behind them was a warming tray with metal-covered plates. He lifted a plate.

  “Oh, you’re going to like this,” he said.

  “What is it?” Jill asked. “I think I could eat a horse.”

  Grinning, he set a plate of lobster, potatoes, and some kind of fancy vegetable cut in noodles. He looked under the warming plate and pulled out a salad for her and for him. There was even freshly baked bread.

  “Yum!” Jill said. “Is yours as good?”

  He lifted his plate and showed her that he had the same thing. He set the salad and bread on the table and then his dinner plate. He stood there for a moment.

  “What are you looking for?” Jill asked with hunger induced impatience.

  “Dessert,” Jacob said.

  Jill opened the cooler and dug around. After a minute, she pulled out a pint of ice cream.

  “How did you know?” Jacob asked.

  “I saw Val take it out of the freezer this afternoon,” Jill said. “I knew she wasn’t going to eat it. . .”

  Jill shrugged. Jacob smiled and sat down.

  “I love you,” Jacob said.

  Without ceremony, Jill started eating. Smiling, he started on his plate.

  Chapter Four Hundred and Forty-six

  Hive

  Wednesday night or possibly Thursday morning

  Jacob lay awake, watching the late-summer stars. Above him, the stars rotated as the moon moved across the sky. Jill’s warm, naked body lay with her arm over him, her shoulder on his, and her head on her pillow. He was warm, deeply satiated, and happy.

  “Are you awake?” he whispered.

  Jill turned her head to look at him. She stroked his cheek. She kissed his lips and shifted from him to her side.

  “I wanted to tell you that . . .” Jacob said in an intimate tone, “ . . .that you were right.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Jill asked with a chuckle.

  “I am done with Lipson,” Jacob said. “I haven’t been able to see it . . . until I went back today. Blane is done, too.”

  Jill made a sound that both agreed and said that she knew what he was talking about.

  “I . . .” Jacob said.

  Jill opened her eyes to look at him.

  “I guess I miss Blane,” Jacob said. “Aden, too. I really did my best work with them by my side. It was like the energy of the three of us, our different perspectives, brought . . . brilliance out of each of us.”

  Jill blinked.

  “Blane said he misses us — not the work — too,” Jacob said. “He loves what he does now, and God knows, he’s good at it — great, really.”

  “Did he tell you this at lunch?” Jill asked.

  “Jealous of my Tacabe adventure?” Jacob asked.

  “Yes,” Jill said.

  “We’ll go, take the kids,” Jacob said. “Tomorrow and Friday, you’re in school all day. Saturday, I’m working.”

  “We are all free . . .,” Jill said.

  “Sunday, yes,” he said with a smile. “Sounds perfect.”

  Jill smiled and closed her eyes.

  “I know that Aden’s struggling,” Jacob said. “And . . .”

  Jill opened her eyes again.

  “I was lying here wondering . . .”

  She leaned up on an elbow to look at him. He pulled the thick covers over her bare shoulder.

  “What are you saying?” Jill asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Jacob said, with a shrug. “I can’t really help Blane in his work. I can’t be Aden’s work partner without diminishing the sense that he’s in charge.”

  “You could join the board,” Jill said. “He could join the rehab business.”

  “Blane? Or Aden?” Jacob asked. “I can’t imagine either of them have time. Me, neither, for that matter. Between the kids and the rehab business and whatever it was that Delphie’s been upset about, we barely have time to play hockey and mostly don’t.”

  He shrugged.

  “Maybe you could do all of it together,” Jill said. She rolled onto her back to look at the stars. She was silent for so long, he was sure she’d fallen asleep. He rolled to his side to look at her. She smiled. “They talk in school about groups who meet every week to help encourage and push each other forward. They call it ‘mastermind groups,’ which, frankly, is kind of dumb. I mean, really, the word ‘mastermind’ implies one master of the mind. How is that a cooperative group?”

  He smiled. Her protest was so Jill.

  “It’s a. . .” Jacob started.

  “A man thing. Exactly,” Jill said. Altering her voice to sound vaguely Scottish, she said, “There can be only one!”

  Jacob laughed at her impression of the Highlander’s accent.

  “I was just thinking that my girlfriends are my group, my hive mind,” Jill said. “You know like Delphie describes it. All people using their different skills toward the end of getting through life.”

  “That is a better description,” Jacob said.

  Jill grunted and snorted at the same time to agree.

  “Nothing happens in any of our lives that we don’t talk about, usually before it happens,” Jill said. “My girlfriends, my hive.”

  “I miss having Blane and Aden with me, every day,” Jacob said. “I didn’t realize it until just now.”

  “Make a plan,” she repeated what he always said to her. “Figure it out.”

  Jacob chuckled.

  “Just talk to them,” Jill said. “If the energy is still as good as it was, you’ll come up with the very best thing to do.”

  He thought about what she’d said and watched the stars for a while. When he opened his mouth to respond to what she’d said, he realized she was truly sound asleep. He kissed her forehead and did the meditation that slowed his mind. After a few moments, he was asleep.

  “Well, hello, naked people!” Mike’s voice boomed at a way-too-early hour. “It’s time to get up.”

  Jacob opened his eyes and squinted at Mike. Jill groaned and rolled away from Mike. She pulled the covers over her head.

  “You have an hour, Jill,” Mike said. Jill’s upturned thumb came out from under the covers. “You, sir, need to get up now.”

  Jacob groaned. Unaccustomed to the early hour, he drifted toward sleep again.

  “Blane’s here with donuts and coffee,” Mike said.

  Not awake, Jacob opened his eyes.

  “Nope.” Mike said.

  Mike grabbed Jacob’s shoulder and dragged him out of bed. Jacob fell onto his hands and knees on the deck. He shot Mike an evil look.

  “Ah, sorry — did you get a bruise?” Mike asked in a babyish voice. He stood up straight and ordered, “Get in the shower, princess.”

  Mike pushed Jacob until he was in the medical office’s shower.

  “I’ll get your clothes,” Mike said.

  Mike pushed Jacob into the shower and turned on the water. The blast of cold water hit Jacob’s head, and reality struck. He shifted into auto drive. Five minutes later, he was washed and dressed. He grabbed his work boots and jogged through the Castle. Blane was sitting in a Lipson Construction truck with the pas
senger door open.

  “How was last night?” Blane asked when Jacob was in.

  “Great,” Jacob said. He pointed to a cup of hot coffee. “Is this mine?”

  “It is,” Blane said.

  “Donuts?” Jacob asked.

  Blane dropped the bag into Jacob’s lap.

  “I’m making dinner for you tonight,” Blane said.

  “Oh?” Jacob asked.

  Jacob leaned back into the seat and fell asleep. What felt like a second later, Blane shook his shoulder. They’d arrived at their first site of the day. Blane shoved the coffee into Jacob’s hands.

  And the day began.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Thursday mid-morning — 11:15 a.m.

  Jill dropped her face down to look at her page and stifled a yawn, which she hid under her hand. They had stayed up way too late celebrating. She blinked at the professor and nodded that she’d understood what he was saying.

  Last night was so worth it.

  “Ms. Roper?” the professor asked.

  “Sir?” Jill asked.

  She was irrationally angry that he called her “Roper” when she’d finally changed her name to “Marlowe” after the wedding. She, Sandy, and Honey went and changed their names on Monday as a small thank-you to their men who had gone through the big wedding.

  “You’ve been unusually quiet,” the professor said with a raised eyebrow. “How is your project coming along?”

  “Good, sir,” Jill said with a smile and an affirming nod.

  “You realize it’s due this Friday, don’t you?” the professor asked.

  “This Friday?” Jill asked with a gasp.

  The students in the room turned to look at her.

  “My mother is having hip surgery next week,” the professor said. “I need to be with her. I moved the deadline on Monday. Don’t you remember? No, that’s right. You weren’t here.”

  “I’m sure you remember that I was getting married,” Jill said. “You agreed to let me have the time off before we started the term.”

  “It says here that you were already married,” the professor said.

  Rather than respond, Jill smiled. Jill glanced at the girl who was giving her the notes. The girl mouthed “sorry.”

  “Are you going to have a problem with the deadline?” the professor asked.

  Jill had been at the top of every class she’d taken here. The professor told her the first day that he always hated the few chosen “special” students. He had tried to knock her off what he felt was her “pedestal.”

  She smiled. At this moment, she realized that it was Jacob who had suggested that they stay home. She’d been secretly disappointed not to go on some great vacation. But if she’d gone with Honey or Sandy or to a special private adventure with her beloved, she’d surely have flunked this class.

  She couldn’t graduate without passing this class.

  She had to get past this man.

  “I can make the deadline,” Jill said confidently. She smiled. “What time would you like it on Friday?”

  When the professor blinked, Jill knew she was going to pass this class. This professor often “forgot” to tell them what time their projects were due. A few of the best students had failed projects by turning a project in at class instead of whatever arbitrary time he’d picked.

  “4:30 am,” the professor said, evenly. “That’s. . .”

  He looked at his watch and then at Jill.

  “Seventeen hours from now,” the professor said.

  The students gasped. The professor squinted at Jill, who smiled. The students turned to look at Jill.

  “Is there a problem?” the professor asked.

  “No, professor,” the students repeated what he’d instructed them to say.

  “See you the morning,” the professor said.

  He nodded at Jill and walked out of the room. They waited a few minutes before they all spoke at once. Jill dramatically dropped her head on the desk.

  If they left the classroom before the class was over, they would lose points for the class. The professor often waited at the door to see who might be sneaking out. He said it was to teach them professionalism, but most students felt like he was simply a jerk. He reminded Jill of a petulant child who always needed to be right. When the time came, the students got up and left. Jill sat in the classroom alone.

  “How am I going to do this?” Jill whispered to herself.

  For no reason at all, she felt a well of confidence. She packed up her books. On her way to her next class, she called her “hive.” They would figure it out together.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Thursday afternoon — 3:15 p.m.

  “Hey ,you guys,” Alex Hargreaves said, as she opened the door. “Colin went to his house to get Moose. You guys want a snack? I know where there are cookies.”

  Noelle, Nash, and Teddy were standing in the doorway as if they were being tricked. Colin wouldn’t let them eat before practice. Alex was wearing her digital fatigue pants, a brown tank top, and boots.

  “Come on,” Alex said. “Meany Colin won’t ever know.”

  Lagging behind, Katy and Paddie followed the others into the house. Katy hugged Alex’s legs in front and Paddie in back. Laughing, Alex hugged them back before shooing them from her.

  “Where are the twins?” Noelle asked about Alex’s children.

  “With their dad on vacation,” Alex said with a sigh. “Do we have time for cookies? They are peanut butter chocolate chip. Very decadent.”

  Alex looked at Katy. The girl squinted for a moment and nodded.

  “See, she agrees,” Alex said.

  “Katy’s never wrong,” Paddie said.

  The kids followed Alex into the kitchen. Alex stood on a stool and took down two bottles of vinegar. She gave the bottles to Teddy and two more vinegar bottles to Nash. She reached in to pull out a large, round tin.

  “These are the ones I made,” Alex said. “No one ever goes up here.”

  She gave the tin to Noelle and put the vinegar back. She opened the tin and laughed. She showed the kids the empty tin. Noelle reached into take out a post-it note.

  “These were good,” the note said.

  Alex laughed. She showed the note to the kids.

  “Whose handwriting is that?” Katy asked.

  “Any ideas?” Alex asked.

  Alex gave the note to Katy. Paddie and Katy shook their heads in big-eyed, adorable unison. Katy gave the note to Noelle, and the older kids shook their heads.

  “Oh, are there more cookies?” Sensei Steve asked as he came into the room.

  A blind man, Steve Pershing moved into the kitchen with absolute ease. Alex laughed and pointed to him.

  “It’s his handwriting,” Alex said.

  The kids’ mouths dropped open with surprise that this blind man was able to get the cookies.

  “How?” Paddie asked.

  “Always expect the unexpected,” Alex said.

  “What is right in front of your face often disguises the whole story,” Sensei Steve and Alex said together. They laughed and hugged in greeting.

  “Where’s Col?” Steve asked. “Did he come back with you?”

  “Colin and I were in Majorca celebrating Honey and MJ’s wedding,” Alex said to the children in the audience. “That’s where John and the babies are right now. Max and I had to come back for a fairly boring meeting. We’re all heading back to Majorca on Friday.”

  “Tomorrow?” Steve asked.

  “Yes,” Alex said. “If I can get away. You’re supposed to come, too.”

  Steve nodded that he’d be there.

  “I thought you were giving up the meeting life,” Steve said with a smile.

  “The. . .” Alex started.

  “Factory,” she said with Steve.

  “Yes, I’m here for that as well,” Steve said.

  Alex turned to her child audience.

  “We usually have ice cream,” Alex said.

  “No eating before class!” St
eve said.

  Alex shook her head at him.

  “I’m trying to put on weight,” Alex said. She went to the freezer and peered in. “Only Coffee ice cream.”

  Paddie made a barfing sound, and Katy laughed.

  “I love it,” Alex said.

  “See, fate prefers you not to eat crap before practice,” Steve said.

  Alex pulled off the top of the ice cream carton and grabbed a spoon. She gave the carton to Noelle, who took a bite.

  “That’s good,” Noelle said.

  The children perked up. One at a time, they tried the new flavor. The door slammed to the rooming house, and Alex grabbed it back. She put a spoon into the carton and dug a bit of ice cream from the bottom.

  “Why is everyone standing in the kitchen?” Colin asked, in an authoritative voice. An enormous brown Labrador followed behind him. “Are you warmed up?”

  The children looked at him in horrified silence.

  “Moose!” Paddie said, and threw his arms around the large dog while the dog licked Katy’s face.

  “The dogs are in the back with Fionn,” Alex said.

  Colin nodded and let Moose out the back.

  “I asked them to come with me,” Alex said in Colin’s direction. “They were helping me gain weight. I’m still ten pounds under from all the weight I lost at training. They were helping.”

  Steve smiled at Alex’s lie, and Colin shook his head. He grabbed the ice cream carton from her and started power eating. Two swift moves, and Alex had Colin on his knees. She was also holding the carton of ice cream again. She took a bite of ice cream. Colin grunted and got up.

  “But how?” Noelle asked. “He’s so much bigger than she is! She’s skin and bones, and he’s all buff and stuff.”

  Alex chuckled.

  “No offense,” Noelle said to Alex.

  “None taken,” Alex said. “I like the phrase ‘buff and stuff.’ Sounds like Puff and Stuff. So fitting.”

  Colin laughed and tried to take the carton again. Once again, she dropped him to his knees. Tossing the empty carton in the trash, Alex waved the kids to follow her.