Landon’s infinity pool gives you the impression that you could swim off the top of the building, but it’s only an illusion. It’s about a quarter of an Olympic-sized pool, but it’ll work. It’s more about the routine. I set the alarm on my phone to alert me at the forty-five minute mark and dive in. I swim freestyle back and forth, thinking about the software, my mom, living here at The Adams, that I need to call Chrissy… My mind has just wandered to Landon as the alarm signals that I’m done. I know with the shorter distance and all the pushing off the sides of the pool, I didn’t get as good a workout as usual, but it’s something. I’ll have to adjust for that tomorrow.
As I towel off, I look inside the house and can see everyone in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Wrapping myself in a beach towel, I join them. Edna walks over with a cup of Earl Grey tea.
“Good morning,” she singsongs as she offers it to me.
“Good morning.” I take a sip, and it’s perfect.
“You’re an inspiration to be swimming laps so early. I’m impressed.”
“Thanks. It gives me a chance to think about what I need to do each day. Plus, I sleep better at night when I’ve worked out.”
“Would you like breakfast?” She opens her arms to the kitchen. “I’m making eggs to order this morning. So far, I have requests for poached, an omelet, and over easy.”
“Thank you, but I should take a shower. Probably the tea and a piece of fruit are enough for me. Now that I’m working in an office with a bunch of guys, I’ve noticed they seem to eat big lunches and dinners. I have to watch that. It’s making my jeans too snug.”
“You look fine,” Landon shouts from the kitchen.
Peter holds his hands up. “I could get myself in trouble if I comment, but as a retired physician, I will say men can consume more calories than women.”
“And you seem to rub our noses in it,” Edna mutters.
I chuckle. “I’ll be right back. I have to meet Cameron at nine at his office. That way we’re not in your way today.”
I sneak off and quickly shower, dry my hair, and put on a little bit of makeup. When I step out, I have twenty minutes before Yolanda is going to meet me downstairs.
Everyone is sitting around the table now.
“Here’s a fresh tea for you,” Edna says. “I’m a tea drinker myself. My parents were from England, and we had afternoon tea most days. I prefer the taste to coffee.”
“You’re spoiling me. Thank you.” I take a hesitant sip. The temperature is perfect, and she’s steeped it just as I like. “Pure nectar of the gods. Thank you.”
She crosses her arms and grins.
“What are your plans today?” I ask the group.
“I have a meeting with a man about a sailboat,” Peter says with a big smile.
“I’m meeting Claire and her decorator,” Edna chimes in. “We’re working on the tile for the bathrooms and kitchen. I suspect we’ll do some furniture shopping at some point, too.”
“I’m going into the office,” Landon says. “I’ll be working with the SHN team to figure out if the router is working like it’s supposed to. It wasn’t working yesterday, and the spyware keeps coming back, so we’re going to work on that. What about you?”
“As I mentioned, Cameron and I made plans to meet over at SHN. We’ll be working on irregular sentence structure today.” I turn to Edna and Peter. “My team is developing an in-ear translator that’s designed so anyone can talk to anyone in real-time in any language.”
“That’s so exciting!” Edna says. “I won’t deny, I’d love to go to my local Asian market and understand what people are saying. I’m sure it’s about whether or not the dragon fruit or something is fresh, but when you aren’t sure, you wonder. They could be laughing at me for having my skirt tucked in my pantyhose.”
We all laugh. I can see where Landon and Claire get their sense of humor.
“When was the last time you wore pantyhose and a skirt?” Peter looks at her, puzzled.
“That’s exactly why I don’t. It only needs to happen once, and never again.” Edna crosses her legs with a look of triumph.
I’m still giggling. “Our software has a lot of applications,” I tell her. “Of course, it would be the company’s goal to have everyone wear an earpiece for all communication. It’s very Star Trek. And now that I’ve partnered with Claire and Landon, we can make sure there is always a satellite connection, regardless of climate or location.”
I look at my watch, and I have five minutes to get downstairs.
“I should go before Yolanda comes looking for me. Thank you for the tea,” I say.
“We have dinner reservations at our favorite fish house. I hope you’ll be coming,” Edna offers.
“I don’t want to intrude on your family time.”
Peter shrugs. “The kids consider you family, so please come.”
I get the impression this isn’t something I’ll be able to get out of, so it isn’t worth trying. “What time?” I ask.
“Seven. Landon can text you the address,” Edna confirms.
“See you then.” I stand to leave, and Landon stands with me.
“I’ll go down with you.” He looks at his parents. “I’ll be right back.”
They study their newspapers, and we get in the elevator.
Landon pushes me up against the wall as
