Page 5 of Conquering the Skies
When Geneva exited the elevator, however, she spotted someone standing outside the door to her apartment. She stiffened, wondering if she’d been somehow identified while on her assignment earlier, then relaxed when she recognized her visitor. “What are you doing here?” she asked, abandoning all pleasantries.
Marcus turned toward her at the sound of her voice. “Isn’t it obvious?” He flashed his crooked smile. “Waiting for you.”
Planting her hands on her hips, she raised an eyebrow. “How did you get in the building?”
“One of your neighbors let me in.”
“Hmph. I’m going to have to send a message to the board about proper security protocols.” Her skeptical expression didn’t change as she looked him over from head to toe, noting he was dressed in his professional work clothes. “Though I suppose you don’t appear to be a dangerous criminal or anything, and there’s plenty of surveillance cameras in the common areas.”
“It’s not like I haven’t been here before. Maybe she recognized me.” He nodded toward her door. “Is this a bad time, or can I come in?”
“All right.” She pressed her hand to the panel embedded into the wall and waited for it to scan her and release the locking mechanism. “If you came here straight from work, there must be a good reason.”
Marcus followed her inside. “I drove around the city a little bit before winding up here, actually.”
“I’m surprised you were driving yourself. Don’t you have someone to do it for you?”
His chin lifted in mock indignation. “I am perfectly capable of driving myself around. Sometimes I just need to—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I have this discussion with my parents all the time.” Geneva kicked off her shoes and put her other belongings in their appropriate places. Standing in the center of the room, she gestured toward the sofa. “Make yourself comfortable, I guess, and then you can tell me what was so urgent you couldn’t even call or message me beforehand.”
He took off his long coat and folded it before laying it on the back of the cushions. Rather than sitting beside him, she took a seat in the armchair across from him. “So, what’s going on?”
Marcus sat at the edge of the sofa, elbows propped up on his knees. “No ‘hi, how are you, how was work today?’”
She pursed her lips. “Call it a hunch, but I’m pretty sure that’s not why you’re here.”
“Fair.” Glancing down at the floor between them, he rubbed the back of his head. “She hasn’t come out and said as much, but I’ve been getting the feeling Adele is expecting a marriage proposal sooner rather than later.”
Her eyebrow arched again. “You’re making it sound so romantic. But I don’t think I’m the person you should be talking to about it.”
“No, you’re exactly the person I need to be talking to right now.”
Geneva crinkled her nose. “Me? Why me? It’s not like either one of you need my permission or anything.”
“Because you’re one of my closest friends, in addition to…” He made a vague gesture with one hand. “Everything else we’ve been through over the years. No one else could possibly understand.”
She didn’t respond.
Marcus let out a long sigh. “And if I’m being honest—and please don’t gloat about this—I sometimes feel a little guilty about how everything played out when I first met Adele when you and Ash were deployed to Kasarad for so long.”
The cushions squeaked as she shifted in the chair. “I’m not sure what you want me to say about what happened, so I guess I’ll just acknowledge your…acknowledgment.”
“Good enough.” He tapped his fingers together. “I figured I might as well keep you in the loop this time around.”
“Thanks. I think.” She shrugged. “Though, like I said, you didn’t need to come to me for my blessing or whatever.”
He ran his hand through his hair again. “There’s a lot I need to figure out and sort through. I thought you might be willing to lend an open ear.”
Geneva crossed her legs and leaned backward. “Well, let’s begin with the basics. Do youwantto marry Adele?”
His gaze lifted to meet hers, and his smile slowly reappeared. “Yeah. I do.”
“Okay, we’re off to a good start.” She gave him a pointed look. “So, what’s the problem, then?”
“I like the way things are now, and I don’t want to risk changing any of it.”
Her mouth twisted to one side. “Are you referring to with her specifically or…something else?”