36

When they climbed the stairs and entered the loft, they found Dillon standing in the living area. Sean suspected his brother had been caught in mid-pace. “Ready to go?”

“I guess . . . Maybe we should wait.”

“It’s time,” Sean said gently. “And you know it.”

“But you’ll tell them?”

“I said I would.”

Dillon did not appear the least bit reassured. Then he noticed Elenya. “You look great.”

“Thank you, Dillon.”

“I can’t get over you speaking English.”

“Badly,” she added. “Speaking English badly.”

“Your English isn’t the problem tonight. What are all those packages?”

“Later,” Sean said. He stowed everything under the bed except for the bag holding Elenya’s original gear, which he put on his dressing table. “Let’s go.”

As they walked the path to the house, Elenya asked, “How should I address them?”

“Professor Havilland and Carey. He’ll probably tell you to call him John.”

“If he doesn’t kick us out,” Dillon muttered. “Shout and shove and done.”

Elenya said, “I asked my father how he would handle this.”

“Her father’s the Assembly Ambassador to Lothia,” Sean told Dillon.

“He was,” she corrected. “Now he is training to become an Assembly Justice.”

Dillon stopped beside one of the mock Japanese lanterns. “So what did he tell you?”

“That we should treat this as already accepted,” she replied. “This is his favorite tactic when dealing with difficult negotiations.” She stumbled over that last word.

“That makes a lot of sense,” Sean said slowly.

“I never knew this until today. I was glad to have a reason to ask him. He said be clear on what you want. Begin from the position that they have already agreed to everything. And that your path is already harmonious with theirs. Then you simply help them arrive where they already are at some unseen level.” She shook her head. “My father is the smartest man I have ever met, and I was ashamed I needed my first meal on your outpost world to make me understand this about him.”

They started on down the path. The dusk was blanketed by heavy clouds. The still summer air was laden with the musk of pine sap and magnolia blossom.

Elenya’s eyes shone in the half light, as though illuminated from within. “Your world is very beautiful, Sean.”

“Parts of it are.”

“Do you have moons?”

“One. We call it Luna.”

From ahead of them, Dillon muttered, “Do we have moons. Oh man.”

“Lighten up there, bro.”

“How about you hold off on those questions tonight, okay?”

“Dillon.”

“I’m just saying.”

Sean pulled on Elenya’s hand, drawing her to a halt. “You go on. We’ll catch up.”

Carey chose that moment to open the door and call out, “Dillon? Is everything okay?”

Dillon glared at them and replied, “Dandy.”

Carey waited until he was climbing the front steps to say, “We’re thinking about eating on the front patio, but it’ll mean dashing inside if it rains. Is that okay?”

When Dillon slipped past her and entered the house, Elenya asked, “Did I say something wrong?”

“No. Dillon’s scared. He’s always responded to fear by fighting. Ever since he was a kid.”

“I’ll be careful, Sean.”

“Elenya . . .”

“What is it?”

He was still uncertain about it all, the tumult and the emotions and everything. But just then he was pretty certain that the right thing to do was to kiss her. Which he did.

The patio door slid open and Carey said, “How nice. Come on up when you’re done. Dinner is ready.”

Both John Havilland and his daughter knew something was up. Maybe it was the way Dillon kept shooting tight glances Carey’s way. Or how Elenya insisted on looking to Sean for guidance before answering the simplest question. Or how Sean had to offer Elenya a slow-motion guide to knife and fork. Yeah, that one definitely raised the professor’s eyebrows a notch.

Midway through the meal, Dillon announced, “I went to see Mom and Dad today.”

Sean was surprised on a multitude of levels. First, that his brother had done it on his own. Second, that he’d be so easy talking about it in front of Carey and her father. Third, that Dillon felt now was the time to discuss it. But all he said was, “You did?”

“You’re handling so much, I just thought . . .” Dillon shrugged.

“No, no, it’s great. I’m glad. How are they?”

“Okay. Well, not okay. But coping. Trying to work things out.” Dillon watched as Elenya reached over and took Sean’s hand. “She knows?”

“I know a little,” Elenya replied. “I am sorry you face this now. With everything else.”

John must have taken that as the signal he had been waiting for. “Speaking of which. Will you tell us what is going on?”

“Yes.” Sean used his free hand to push his half-finished plate to one side. “I will.”

“Does this have anything to do with our discussion the other night?”

“Actually, sir, it does. A lot.”

“Are you and Dillon in trouble with the authorities?”

“Absolutely not.”

John seemed to take comfort from the solid response. “Will you tell me where your young lady is from?”

Leave it to the professor to get right to the heart of the matter. “That is part of what we need to tell you. Actually, it’ll be easier if we just show you.” Sean rose to his feet. “Will you come with us to the loft?”

Dillon got that deer-in-the-headlights look again. “Are you sure about this?”

“I think so.”

“And I agree with him,” Elenya said. “They will need to see this sooner or later. And showing them in the beginning will make everything else move more swiftly.”

Father and daughter watched the exchange in silence.

Dillon reached for Carey’s hand and said, “I am so in love with you.”

“And you are making me so scared.”

“I know.” He looked at Sean. “Okay. Let’s do this.”