Spirit - Part Nineteen
This episode is part of a larger story, Soft Touch. If you haven’t yet, you can go back and read it from the beginning right here.
I lock up the flower shop, then set off up the sidewalk with a definite spring in my step.
It just dawned on me that if things work out, then Kent’s shop, Raj and Ripley’s board showroom, and Floyd and Spencer’s bookstore will all be within easy walking distance of each other. I’m not even bothering to take my car over there right now, because I don’t need to.
I know that I probably shouldn’t get too excited yet. Things aren’t exactly set in stone. Still, the chance it might happen is enough to send me in an eager rush down the sidewalk. I don’t need to be there for this meeting, but if there’s any way I can help, I want to.
I blow a kiss to my old apartment when I pass it, then let my eyes wander over the slow-falling sunset, my mind wandering to the ghosts.
I’m sorely tempted to try to summon them again, but they don’t have enough energy for that. Will gave all of his energy to Kasey, and she used up her entire reserve when she came with us to Port Sitka. Aiden and I knew that, but none of us realized that it costs the ghosts some small amount of energy to come when they’re summoned. Aiden and I summoned them as soon as we got home, and they both tried to answer, which burned up what little energy they had left.
Aiden and I couldn’t stand to sit on our information, so we told the whole story to the two flickering shadows in our living room. Will and Kasey were both so transparent that we couldn’t make them out clearly, or hear their answers. But we did hear something like giddy, cheering laughter, so soft it could have been the sound of the wind rustling leaves in our garden. So, we’re pretty sure they got the message.
Aiden and I have to wait for them to regain some energy before we can discuss our next steps for finding Rose’s Tree. That means our Ghost Office work is temporarily on hold, but - honestly, I’m okay with it. I need time to catch my breath from everything I’ve learned. Aiden does, too. Besides, Leyla and Rose need some time to make a decision about telling Floyd and Spencer the truth.
It’s their choice, and I understand that. We mean to give Rose and Leyla all the time they need. But god, it’s gonna be a battle to keep everything to myself when I see Floyd and Spencer tonight.
The thought of those two pulls my mind back to the present. I look up as I round the corner, then stop, breaking into a slow smile.
For as long as I can remember, the street that Raj and Ripley’s newly-bought building sits on has gone completely dark at night. Most of the storefronts are unoccupied, empty, and the few that aren’t close up long before sunset.
It’s strangely warming to look up and see every light in Raj and Ripley’s building switched on. Every window sheds a rich golden glow that melts into the blue-tinged sunset air. It’s the only place on the whole block lit up, but it casts its brightness softly onto the surrounding buildings.
I let myself in and stop just inside the door, caught by surprise.
Raj and Ripley haven’t had time to do too much fixing up yet, and the only obvious construction that’s been done is the replacement of one beam in the ceiling and one step on the stairs. But the place does look different.
Everything is so clean. The thick blanket of dust and old grime that had coated the interior is gone. The surfaces are bright and polished. It’s going to get messy again when the real work starts up, but - this makes a big difference. The air is free of dust, full of the sweet fragrance of old wood and brick. A window has been left slightly open in the back, allowing a fresh, cool breeze to drift in.
The showroom floor is empty, so I take the stairs up to the workshop floor. That’s empty, too, so I keep going up the steps - then stop, listening. I just heard some noise from the top floor, where Ripley’s little apartment is. A faint thud, a few stumbling footsteps, then a heavy thump.
Alarm bells start ringing in my head. I rush up the last few steps and push open the door. Then I stop right where I am, my eyebrows flying up in startled confusion.
Ripley and Noah are brawling with each other in the middle of the little apartment, right in front of Aiden and Ralph, who seem to just be - watching?
My fingers flutter up to press against my cheeks in bewildered panic as Ripley throws a hard punch at Noah, aimed right at his face. But Noah ducks down and spins out of the way, then straightens up, bouncing on his feet, and tosses an escaped strand from his bun out of his eyes.
I blink in surprise at the wide smile on his face.
“Pretty good, but step back real fast after a straight hit like that,” he tells Ripley, demonstrating as he talks. “And make a little play right or left before you go right down the center. Make it look like you’re really gonna swing. Just don’t throw your balance.”
Ripley makes a jab like he’s going to put in a hard hit on Noah’s right side, then pulls back swiftly and goes for his stomach instead. Noah is gone like lightning before Ripley’s fist can get there, but he breaks into a giant, dimpled grin as he straightens up, beaming proudly at Ripley.
“Just like that, Ripples!” he says enthusiastically, slapping his shoulder.
“That was so close, dude!” Ripley pushes his green curls out of his eyes, then plants his hands on his hips, panting hard. “Did you see that, Ralph?”
“Close,” Ralph answers, lazily leaning back against the tiny kitchen counter beside Aiden. Tycho is perched by his feet, crouched low like she desperately wants to join the romp, looking up at Ralph with pleading eyes. “But close won’t get you there.”
“Oh, yeah?” Ripley is still out of breath, but a familiar, devious look flickers to life in his eyes. “When do I get to go against you, man?”
Ralph gives his shoulders the barest of unconcerned shrugs. “When you can hold your own against Noah.”
Ripley turns to look at Noah, arching a doubtful eyebrow. “You’re really saying that you’re better than N-?”
Ralph’s hand flashes forward and catches Ripley’s shoulder. Without missing a beat, he bears down on that hand, driving his weight into it so swiftly and sharply that the movement drives Ripley to his knees on the thick rug. Ripley can only take in a sharp, startled breath before Ralph has him in a headlock.
Ralph calmly leans down to speak to him.
“No, not better. But I fight dirty, and Noah won’t, not with you. Get through him and you can go against me. But I wouldn’t hope to get that far, if I was you.”
Ripley is panting, holding onto Ralph’s forearm, but he twists his head to meet Ralph’s eyes, defiant fire burning in his own. “And after you?”
Ralph arches an eyebrow, surprised by the question - then breaks into a small, dark smile. “You can try your luck against Aiden.”
He lets Ripley go, affectionately messing up his green curls before he goes back to Aiden and Tycho. Ripley sinks down onto the rug and leans back on his palms. He flashes a wide, challenging grin at Aiden, like - I’m coming for you.
Aiden snickers softly, and Ripley dissolves into panted, contagious laughter, which finally cracks Ralph’s perfectly neutral expression. He rolls his eyes, a barely-concealed smile quirking up his mouth.
“Tough one,” he murmurs quietly to Noah, clearly a little impressed.
Noah grins proudly at Ripley, liberating the hidden dimples at the corners of his mouth.
“I know, right?” He drops his voice to what I assume is intended to be a confidential volume. “I’m actually a little wary of him when we do this, dude. All the gym trips with Aiden, you know what I’m saying? If he does land one on me - not that he will, obviously-”
“I can hear you, Noah,” Ripley calls, grinning widely, leaning back on his elbows on the rug. “It’s a small apartment. Whispering doesn’t actually do that much.”
Noah leans down to stab an inky finger in Ripley’s face. “Land one and you can talk, punk-ass kid! When the fuck do you give up? Who would you consider too much to take on?”
Ripley tilts his chin up, unflinching. “Who’s after Aiden?”
“Jamie,” Aiden answers, to everyone’s considerable surprise, including my own.
Silence falls for a moment.
“Jamie?” Ripley repeats, his eyebrows shooting up. And then, with slow horror creeping over his face - “Jamie.”
“Oh, shit.” Noah presses the side of his fist against his mouth, glancing over at Ralph. “He’s right. Land a hit on Jamie? None of us has ever done it, or could ever do it. It’s impossible. I’ve tried. Wound up just smashing up his apartment instead.”
“I’ve wanted to do it, tons of times,” Ralph puts in, then swerves out of the way when Aiden throws an elbow at his ribs, making an indignant face at him. “Come on, man, not anymore! I could never, not now!”
“Right, because of the-” Noah gestures vaguely to his own face, making his eyes dramatically huge and round. “The - the-”
“Puppy dog eyes?” Ripley offers.
“The fucking puppy dog eyes he makes, dude? Imagine throwing a punch his way, at that.”
Everyone looks so singularly alarmed at the idea that I nearly burst out laughing. Only throwing my hands over my mouth stops me in time.
“Yeah, no,” Ripley says firmly, shuddering at the thought. “No thank you. I’ll stop before Jamie.”
“Wow, cool,” I laugh, unable to stop myself. “I’m the final boss? Didn’t see that one coming.”
Noah, Ralph, and Ripley all look over at me in surprise, but Aiden only smiles warmly, his deep blue eyes lingering on my face. He must have heard me coming, in his way.
“Ugh, he’s doing the puppy eyes thing right now,” Noah groans, fixing me with an exasperated, accusatory glare. “Knock it off, man!”
I spread my hands at him indignantly. “I’m literally just standing here!”
“Well-” Ralph swings a hand at me in frustration. “Quit looking so goddamn happy to see us!”
I draw back in alarm and bewilderment, glancing between Noah and Ralph with wide eyes. “But I am happy to see you.”
They let out a simultaneous groan of dismay and make violent gestures at me, like I’m somehow making everything worse.
Ripley bounds to his feet, half-laughing, and dusts off his hands. “Hey, man!”
“Hey, Ripples! I was gonna say sorry for coming by without warning, but I see everyone else did the same thing.” I step further into the apartment, looking around in warm surprise. “It looks so good in here!”
The showroom and the workshop have only been cleaned, but serious work has been done on Ripley’s apartment. The big windows are sparkling clean and shining brightly, letting the rich sunset light spill through.
I almost laugh when my eyes land on the bed. It’s wedged so tightly into the tiny space, leaving no room at all between the wall on one side and the huge slanted windows on the other. But I actually think that’ll be nice, so long as Ripley keeps the windows closed when it rains. Noah’s toolbox is on the kitchen counter, and there’s a new set of three small, golden lamps set into the wall behind the bed, shedding warm and shadowy light.
I can see Raj’s handiwork and Ripley’s artistic touch everywhere. The wall by the bed has been spray painted into a dancing whirl of vivid colors. A tiny kitchen table and two chairs have been placed on some sheeting, half-painted with a colorful design going up the legs. The minuscule kitchen counter has a new, handmade wooden extension.
I barely have time to take it all in before Ripley goes past me, leading the way back to the stairs.
“Don’t want to be late,” he calls, as Noah and Ralph follow him, Tycho bundled up in Ralph’s arms.
Aiden wraps a muscle-heavy arm around my shoulders, pulling me in for a fast, enthusiastic little kiss. I take a deep, blissful breath of vetiver before I follow him down the stairs.
“Did you leave right from City Hall?” My admiring eyes linger on his biceps, which are gently straining the soft fabric of his work shirt. “I didn’t know you were planning to come.”
“I didn’t know you were, either.” He laughs softly as I hook my finger through his belt loop to keep up with him. “Did you want to make sure everything goes smoothly?”
“I think it will, but I wanted to be sure.”
Aiden looks at me over his shoulder, giving me a glimpse of his sweet, warm, heartthrob smile. “Me, too.”
“And you guys decided to give Ripley a punching lesson while you were waiting around?”
Aiden shrugs his broad shoulders. “He’s gonna be living alone. We just want to make sure he’ll be okay.”
I pause on the steps, watching Aiden with huge heart eyes, then hurry to catch up with him.
Raj steps in through the front door right as we all spill out onto the ground floor. He pauses in surprise, then breaks into an enormous, beaming grin that sharpens all the lines of his angular face.
“Aw, brothers!” He sets down the cardboard box in his arms and straightens up, absolutely delighted. “Did you guys all show up to help me and Ripples out with this? Shoot, that’s - come on, everybody bring it in. Hugs all around.”
Everyone scatters except for me, so I let out a groaning laugh of surrender and return the giant hug Raj immediately wraps me up in.
“We’re sure you guys can handle it,” I explain hastily. “We just-”
“No, no, we appreciate it!” Raj scoops up the box again, then backs out through the door he just came through. “Ripples, you got the other one?”
Ripley drags another box out from against the wall, then scoops it up into his arms.
“Sweet, let’s head over there.” Raj jingles a set of keys at us. “The realtor let me borrow this when I explained what we were doing.”
We all set out into the falling dusk. The street is dappled with dancing speckles of tangerine sunlight, summer air stirring the trees planted along the sidewalk.
Raj casts a searching glance at me and Aiden as he unlocks the door of the shop right beside his and Ripley’s. “You guys think this whole thing is a good idea, right?”
“We want this to work,” Aiden rumbles, with certainty in his deep voice. “Floyd and Spencer are great guys. I mean - they’re mad strange, I’m not gonna lie to you about that, but - in a good way.”
Raj and Ripley exchange a relieved glance.
“Cool, because my mom doesn’t love the idea of me living alone on a street full of empty buildings,” Ripley answers, shifting the box in his arms. “And I don’t like to think of her worrying.”
“None of us want to see Mrs. McKay unhappy, dude,” Noah informs Ripley. “Why d’you think I’ve been here helping out all day?”
“I - kinda thought it was because you’re planning on hanging out here with us, like - all the time,” Ripley says, looking up at Noah in surprise. “Were you - were you not planning on doing that?”
Noah tilts his head to the side, fixing Ripley with an affectionate grin as he absorbs that. Then he tips his head back and heaves out a huge, aggrieved sigh.
“Ugh, fine. I might hang around sometimes. If anything interesting is going on. And only because my husband is gonna be here, anyways.”
“Right, only because of that,” Ripley laughs, looking immensely relieved. “What’s your excuse, Ralph? You got a reason for helping out, or did you just want to hang, too?”
Ralph does that thing where he conjures up vivid images of extreme bodily violence using only the expression in his grey-green eyes.
“Don’t question my shit, kid,” he growls.
“Alright, I guess that’s an answer,” Ripley snickers. “Jamie? Aiden?”
“We’re here because we want to help, and we can’t exactly support you by buying a board! I think Aiden would cleanly break any skateboard he stood on right in half-” I dodge as Aiden takes a swipe at me, using Ralph as a shield. “-and I think I would probably just break all my bones. Instantly.”
“I dunno, I might buy a surfboard,” Aiden says thoughtfully, adjusting his snapback over his chestnut hair. “If it’s anything near as sick as Noah’s.”
Raj gives Ripley’s shoulder a smack, beaming from ear to ear. “Sounds like we might actually get some customers, brother!”
Ralph lowers his head, hiding his face as he breathes out a helpless laugh. “I sure fucking hope so. I know this is gonna come as a big surprise to you two dopes, but customers are actually a big part of the business plan I wrote for you. You want those.”
“That’s what we’re working on, man. Drawing them in.” Raj pushes open the door of the empty shop right next to his and Ripley’s. “By making sure we don’t have only sad, lonely ghost shops on all sides.”
Ralph shrugs in a concessionary way, like he can’t really argue with that. He slips into the shop after Raj, and Ripley follows him into the shadowy space. His colorful fingers feel around in the darkness and find a light switch, casting the interior into a warm, golden glow.
“What-?” I stop just inside the door, blown away. “Holy shit, the lights in here are beautiful!”
Based on the cheesy grin that dimples the corners of Noah’s mouth, this is what he was working on all day. There’s a discarded pile of rotted wires, grey light bulbs, and dusty fixtures on the floor. Overhead, the ceiling is lit softly by neat rows of show lights, which spill down to illuminate the dusty glass on the long counter lining one wall. The golden glow pools in the empty display windows, promising to light up whatever’s put there, and accumulates on the wall behind the counter, like something is meant to hang there.
As Raj and Ripley begin carefully unloading the boxes they brought over, placing the contents in a line on the counter - I understand why. I stop still, staring in amazement at the work they’ve done.
After a moment, I break into a surprised smile, then leave them to it. I wander deeper into the space, gazing around at the dusty rafters.
This building has the same air of disuse and emptiness that Raj and Ripley’s had before they cleaned it out, but - still, something about it is cozy.
Raj and Ripley’s place has two open-air floors, and only closes off at the third. This space is different, a regular single-story. Connected to the empty shop, on the far side, there are three floors of space where the business owner might live. The door to it is open, and through it, I can see a snug little entryway to the stairs.
A glance through the back windows reveals a tiny backyard space, lined with a tall wooden fence that’s smothered in summer wildflowers.
“This is great, isn’t it?” I say softly to Tycho, who followed me over here. “Only the lights are fixed, but you can already tell. I can just picture this place full of Floyd and Spencer’s books. And turtle supplies. I know Raj and Ripley are nervous, but I don’t think they have to be.”
Tycho looks up at me, her tail wagging.
“Hey, I’m trying to work on an appropriate greeting for two dudes who’re interested in magic and that type of shit,” Raj calls. “Should I go Medieval-sounding with it, or what’s the deal?”
“You do not need to do that,” Aiden answers firmly.
“Whatever, man, I’m just trying to be prepared!”
“Dude, trust me, Floyd and Spencer are way more nervous than you a-”
Aiden breaks off as Tycho looks sharply at the front door, her white ears perking up. The rest of us all look up at the same time. We can hear voices from the other side of the door.
“-just saying, I don’t think we make the best f-first impression,” Spencer is saying, with obvious anxiety in his voice. “People f-find us odd.”
“Odd?” Floyd asks, sounding immensely surprised. “Do they? Well - not these scamps, believe me! I will say I’ve only met Raj very briefly, but he’s a jolly fellow, so good-spirited - and from Hawai’i! You can ask him about Menehune.”
“N-no, see - this is where I think we go wrong. You don’t start a first-ever conversation with anyone by talking about mythological beings, I don’t think. That’s the kind of th-thing people find odd.”
“If you’re worried about us coming off as odd, why did we bring a gift to this? What occasion is the gift for?”
“For-” Spencer pauses uncertainly. “They invited us to something. You’re supposed to bring a gift, aren’t y-you? To thank them, and…? Or… is that not…?”
His voice is losing speed and confidence with every word.
“Should we just go home?” he says desperately, all of a sudden.
“What-? Spence, calm down. I’m not saying it’s weird of us to bring a book. I’m concerned about the choice of book. I should have picked it out.”
“What?” Spencer’s voice loses its anxiety as it rises in volume and indignance. “It’s not a weird choice! Everyone loves Appalachian ghost stories, don’t they?”
“Everyone? No, they most certainly do not! Now, The Expanding Case for the UFO, that’s got something thought-provoking for everyone-”
“Goddamn you, Floyd! You wouldn’t know thought-provoking if someone beat you over the - do you hear that?”
What they’re hearing is Tycho scratching at the door, bouncing on her hind legs, her silvery-white tail wagging furiously.
All of us have been standing in silence, trying our hardest not to dissolve into laughter. But at the break in the conversation, Raj hurries over to the door and pulls it open.
Ida immediately wanders in, then stops and lowers her greying muzzle to Tycho, her tail wagging stiffly. Her warm brown eyes watch in affectionate amusement as Tycho breathlessly bounds around her, wild with excitement, losing her footing on some of her more ungraceful bounces.
Floyd and Spencer freeze just outside of the door, startled, staring at Raj. Spencer sinks down a little and draws his shoulders in, like he’s about to try to hide behind Floyd. A spectacularly impossible thing to do, given their extreme height differences. Spencer instantly seems to realize it’s fruitless, because he quickly straightens up again, wincing in a mortified way behind his glasses.
“Oh - hello, there!” Floyd says brightly, beaming up at Raj. He seizes his hand in both of his own and gives it an eager shake, tilting his head all the way back to look up into Raj’s face. “Raj, isn’t it? Absolutely dynamite to see you again!”
Tycho is still zooming in delighted circles around Ida, and somehow Floyd is shaking Raj’s hand with a matching degree of enthusiasm. He only lets go when Tycho comes rushing over to greet him.
“Oh - Tycho!” Floyd says delightedly, scratching her white ears. “How good to see you!”
Tycho licks his face, then goes bolting back to Ida to resume her circles.
“Look at that tiny fool,” Ralph laughs, watching Tycho with adoring eyes. “Guess we know someone would be happy about this arrangement.”
Spencer looks down shyly at Raj from behind Floyd, his tawny skin colored up with a nervous blush.
“Thank y-you f-for inviting us,” he blurts out suddenly, and shoves a book into Raj’s hands.
Raj has clearly been struggling not to laugh this whole time, but now he finally pulls it together.
“Yo, uh - hail and well met, my guys!” He matches Floyd’s enthusiasm as he extends a hand to Spencer, who goes to shake it, then gives a start when Raj slaps it instead. “Come on in! Thanks for the book, it looks - interesting!”
Spencer, now looking very relieved, follows Floyd inside. The two of them stop just inside the door, gazing around at the space. Ripley was shaking with silent laughter behind the counter, but now he scurries around it to join Raj.
“Oh, what nice light this place has!” Floyd says in surprise, to a gratified grin from Noah. He turns on the spot to take it in, his wild grey flyaways bouncing with his movements. “In these old buildings, sometimes you don’t get-”
“Floyd,” Spencer stammers quietly, his wide eyes caught on something.
Floyd throws him a bright glance, then does a sharp double-take. His over-magnified eyes get even bigger as he stares at the pieces of the wooden sign that Raj and Ripley made, laid out on the dusty glass counter.
Each piece of the sign is an individual, flat piece of wood. Rounded, painted black, and stamped with one white letter. Put all together, they look like the keys of a gigantic typewriter, spelling out the words - LITTLESHIN BOOKS.
Raj made them, and Ripley painted them, so their signature beautiful craftsmanship shows itself in every aspect.
“This is why we asked you to come by,” Ripley nervously explains, twisting his paint-stained fingertips together. “We know you guys are looking for a space for your bookshop. We wanted to show you the spot next door to our shop. Thought you could help us liven up the street.”
“And we made you a sign,” Raj adds, “So we could show you what it looks like up on the wall behind the counter. Give you a better, um - mental image. We can put it up for you, if you decide to take the space.”
Floyd and Spencer don’t answer. They just stare in stunned silence at the lovingly-made sign.
After a moment Floyd takes off his perfectly round glasses and polishes them on his shirt - briefly returning his eyes to normal proportions - then slowly puts them back on. This makes his wide eyes enormous again, and apparently places some serious strain on Aiden’s ability to keep his laughter down. He presses his fingers over his mouth on the pretense of running a hand over his stubble beard.
Floyd and Spencer don’t notice, though. They both appear to be struck speechless.
“So, full disclosure,” Raj goes on, watching Floyd and Spencer with hopeful eyes. “We’re gonna be making a lot of noise next door. Given the workshop, and the fact that Noah and I have got a baby, and that Ripley is gonna be nineteen on his next birthday. We’re really hoping that’s not a deal-breaker. We were planning on soundproofing our shared wall, just to make sure we don’t bother y-”
“Bermuda - Bermuda Triangle,” Floyd stammers suddenly, without breaking his eyes away from the sign. “That’s the - book we should have brought. Mysteries of the-”
“Goddamnit, Floyd!” Spencer roars, startling everyone except me, Aiden, and Floyd. He whips around to fix him with a furious glare. “I asked you before we left if you wanted to pick the book from my stock or yours! And the Bermuda Triangle? If we’re going oceanic, why didn’t we bring one about-?”
“Say the word Atlantis and I’ll kill you dead!” Floyd bellows back, his ringed fingers glittering with the wild gestures of his hands. “I’ll sink you just like - like Lyonesse! A sunken kingdom actually worth discussing!”
Spencer bends over Floyd to stab an outraged finger in his face. “I’ll escape before you can, just like the one survivor of Lyonesse! Who some believe went on to become a Knight of the Round Table, by the way!”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Floyd roars back, going up on his toes to stab his own finger into Spencer’s face.
Raj and Ripley look to me and Aiden in obvious alarm as the argument grows in volume.
“Don’t worry,” Aiden rumbles, leaning down to speak quietly to them. “They love doing this.”
“I actually think they might be doing it right now to calm down,” I add, watching affectionately as they scold and shout at each other.
“Oh, word?” Raj asks, relieved. “Maybe the soundproofing benefits all of us, then.”
We all fall quiet when we realize that Floyd and Spencer have broken off and are staring in dumbstruck silence at the sign again.
“This is f-for us?” Spencer manages, sounding dazed. “You m-made this for us?”
Raj and Ripley nod earnestly. Spencer and Floyd stare at them in uncomprehending silence, then look at each other. Startled, disbelieving smiles are spreading across both of their faces.
Spencer catches Floyd’s hand, gently weaving their fingers together. Floyd gives his hand a friendly, warm squeeze, then looks at Ripley and Raj again.
“And you want us next door?” Floyd asks, smiling and startled and baffled. “You know what kind of bookshop we have, right?”
I’m pretty sure that Raj and Ripley don’t need any help. Aiden must be thinking along the same lines, because he catches my eye with his beautiful blue ones and silently tells me so. I give him a nod, then catch Noah’s tattooed arm and gently draw him back, as Aiden gets a fistful of Ralph’s t-shirt and does the same.
“We’ll leave you guys to talk it through,” I call out to Floyd, Spencer, Raj, and Ripley.
Raj is still talking away and doesn’t hear me, but Ripley turns to give me an appreciative nod, then pauses, his green eyes blinking hard in surprise.
I follow his gaze to the door and find that Alix has just slipped through it. She’s looking adorably windblown from the summer breeze, dressed professionally in a pencil skirt and a delicate white button-down top. She’s balanced precariously on the sleek high heels she always wears at City Hall.
She smiles warmly at Ripley, spreads her fingers in a wave.
He immediately smiles, too, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her. He quickly says something to Floyd and Spencer, then comes over.
“Hey,” he says brightly, leaning down to brush a kiss onto Alix’s forehead. “I didn’t know you were coming by.”
“Hey! Yeah, I - I hadn’t planned to.” She affectionately smooths a green curl out of his eyes, then drops her voice to a quieter volume. “Do you have a second to talk?”
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