I walked into the office of Pai Importing with trepidation. It was daunting, knowing how big the company really was. Leon had spent an entire evening with me and Tayvis explaining just how rich I was. I didn't want it. It wasn't mine, not really. It was Jasyn's.
The office staff greeted me with smiles. Everyone seemed to know me though I'd never been in the office before. They directed me to the back and up several flights of stairs. They finally showed me to a door and left me alone. I knocked on the door.
"Come on in," Jasyn called out.
I opened the door and walked in. It shut behind me.
Jasyn's office was big. She sat at a desk, busily typing. I wandered across the room and looked out the window at the street below. Jasyn sighed and sat back.
"How are you, Dace?" she asked.
"As good as normal," I answered. "How are you?"
"Typical answer, doesn't tell me anything." She got out of her chair and crossed to the window. She hugged me awkwardly. Her belly was getting rounder. She stroked it absently while she talked. "You're looking good."
"Tropical air is apparently good for me. How did Leon come to own his own island?"
She grinned. "I suspect he found a way to bill me for it."
"How long until the baby?" I asked, watching her stroke her belly. It still hurt that I'd never experience motherhood, not like that, but it was an old hurt.
"Another three months or so," Jasyn answered. "With everything that was happening, we don't know for sure."
"Boy or girl?"
"We don't know that, either." She smiled, happy and content.
I shifted my feet, wondering how she was going to react to my real reason for visiting. I wasn't just there to say hi.
"Did Paltronis talk to you?" Jasyn asked. "They set a date, in three weeks. She wants a quiet wedding, but Beryn is pulling out all the stops. Roland's helping him."
"She asked me to be there, yes. She asked Lowell to walk her down the aisle, but that's going to be a bit difficult. No one seems to know where he went."
"I got a wedding announcement two days ago. He asked me to send you a copy, since you didn't have an address yet."
"What?" I stared at her.
She grinned. "You're surprised? You of all people should have known about it. He and Suella Querran eloped."
"I bet he did it so you wouldn't insist on planning the wedding." She'd taken over mine, along with a lot of other people, and turned it into a major production.
She laughed and went back to her desk.
"I saw Ginni yesterday," I said. "She and Doggo have been seeing an awful lot of each other."
"Are you jealous that Doggo found someone better than Spacer Chick?"
"No, of course not. Well, maybe just a little."
"He still calls you Spacer Chick," Jasyn said.
"He probably always will."
"Oh, Twyla is on her way here. Her leg is still giving her trouble, but Roland promised her whatever help he could get her."
"I bet Clark's happy about that." Twyla was his sister. She was a good pilot and a good friend. She was Family. It still felt strange to me, but I'd taken Querran's advice. I still wondered sometimes why they cared about me. "How's Scholar doing?"
"He moved into my datanet center two weeks ago. I don't think he's left since. He's happy enough. You should talk to him sometime."
"I plan on it." I shifted my feet, leaning on the windowsill and staring down at the carpet.
"Everett is working for me now, too. He turned down Roland's offer." She cocked her head, studying me. "Is something wrong?"
"I need to borrow some money." This was the part I wasn't looking forward to.
"You're richer than anyone except me and Leon. You don't have to ask. How much do you want?"
"About two hundred thousand credits."
Her jaw dropped.
"I want to buy a ship," I said.
"Must be some ship," she answered. "Dace, you own dozens of ships already. You want to buy yourself a battle cruiser? Roland might have a few objections to that."
"What would I do with a battle cruiser? It's just a small ship, a cargo ship, but it's an Archer. The only one they ever made for hauling cargo." I was babbling nervously, afraid she'd say no.
She started to laugh. I let my praises of the ship trail away.
"You want to borrow money from me to buy a ship? Dace, you're crazy. You own a third of this company. You don't have to ask my permission."
"It isn't mine, it's yours, Jasyn." I shoved my hands into my pockets.
"It would never have been mine if you hadn't shown up on Nevira with my brother. It's yours, too, just like the Phoenix was."
"But—"
"Don't argue with me. I'll arrange for the money to be transferred into your account. And if you ever try to pay it back, I will call down Lady Rina's curses on your head."
"Please don't."
She grinned, and tucked her long hair behind her ear. She was beautiful. She was my best friend, she was my sister in spirit if not blood.
"You're welcome to fly it with me," I said.
She stroked her belly. "Don't take this wrong, but I'm happy here. Maybe I'll fly with you sometimes, but not as regular crew." She looked at me, a slightly worried expression on her face.
"I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you, too." She smiled, the worry gone. "Which is why I will send dozens of ships after you if you don't come by to visit every couple of months."
"Done." I wasn't planning on ever getting lost again. The way things were working out, it didn't look like I had much to worry about. Even the media was beginning to forget me.
"Who's on the crew? Besides Tayvis."
"Beryn and Paltronis, after the wedding. The ship needs an overhaul. It's going to take me at least two months."
"You could hire someone to do it for you."
"It wouldn't be done right."
She laughed. "You sound just like Caid." Her smile faded. "Have you been to Darus' grave yet?"
I nodded. I missed him more than I wanted to admit. "I wish I'd had more time with him. I wish a lot of things."
"So do we all." She swung her chair back and forth. "Who else is on your crew? Or are you planning on flying all by yourself?"
"Ginni's flying with me, at least until Doggo decides he's done being a fighter pilot. I've got a couple of other people who might or might not come. They haven't answered me yet." One of those was Fya, I owed him. One of them was Leon, but I didn't think he was serious. Dariana, Tayvis's mother, had asked if she could come. I was hesitant to say yes. I liked her, but not as crew.
"Deena asked you, didn't she?"
"Am I that transparent?"
"Sometimes. She just wants to spend time with you and Tayvis. Let her go as a passenger. Tell you what, go visit Jerimon and Larella. I've got several shipments for Onipas waiting."
"They'll wait for a couple of months?"
"Sure. For you, Dace, I'll always have something."
"I know."
She got up and hugged me again.
"Go buy your ship. Say hello to Tayvis for me. And tell Roland you're ready to get your cat off his ship. He'll thank you for it."
I walked out of her office, smiling. Life was sweet.