a's

ospace's main campus was ju

g student who had vanished years ago. Now, I was just a suburban mom w

first and hang around, to see if I could g

nt kids' club and took a cab to the high-tech co

ground floor, ordered a latte, and

her Aerospace badges coming and going,

o dwindle. Just as I was about to give u

he turned, he bumped hard against my small table. My half-

sorry!" a warm, apo

dy to say it was

s behind a pair of frameless gla

dening in disbelief. "Anika? Ani

embarrassed smile. "It's m

d on buying me a new shirt. When I refused, h

e gleaming Aether Aerospace building, taking me to his off

d by schematics and scale models of

d mess of books, blueprints, and whi

at the coffee stain

oken," Aedan said, his voice gentle. "We all th

ave up the most important things for peo

rriage, only that I was single now an

were full of

d the SCSD summit, lamenting

"The company is a sponsor. We have ple

my voice even. "I couldn't ask you

an honor to attend the summit with an old colleague. Honestly,

e a balm to m

mbers and made plans

s that had been hanging over me begin to part. I h