Gladice ran to the pool and dived in, creating a large splash. Savannah followed her. They swam toward the deep end, laughing. Jacques and Charles came out of the house with Philip and Maria. They wore swim trunks and carried towels.
“Party time!” Charles said, jumping into the pool with his brother.
Philip and Maria took seats near the pool and watched the kids. Angelique took the lounge chair beside her parents. Constantine and Venessa appeared a few minutes later. Constantine wore a pair of dark blue swim trunks, while Venessa had on a bright yellow bikini. They went to the bar and talked with the staff. A moment later, Constantine was standing behind the bar, making drinks for himself and Venessa. Judith arrived a few minutes later, wearing a white sarong over a black bikini. She held Victoria in her arms. Serana followed her, wearing a white one-piece. Judith took her daughter to a small kiddie pool and sat with her. Serana came and sat near Louis.
“You look better than yesterday,” she said, looking at him. “Less like a refugee.”
“I feel better,” Louis said. “Thanks for the message, by the way.”
“Someone had to welcome you home,” she said. “Since our parents were busy with their political games.”
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“Fine,” she said. “I was worried for weeks. I didn’t sleep well. I’m glad you’re back. And your… girlfriends.”
Louis smiled. “They are my new family, Sis.”
“I know,” she said. “But it’s still weird. For me. For everyone.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
“I will,” she said. “Or I’ll pretend I do. That’s what we Collins do.”
“True.”
She looked at the women in the pool. “They seem… happy.”
“They are,” Louis said. “As much as they can be, after what we’ve been through.”
“I know what you mean,” she said. “I saw the news. And the photos. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“Me too.”
She looked down at her hands. “I missed you, Louis. Even when you were annoying. Which was most of the time.”
Louis laughed. “I missed you too, Sis. Even when you were being a know-it-all.”
“I’m always a know-it-all,” she said, smiling. “Because I usually know it all.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Good to see you haven’t changed,” she said, punching his arm lightly. “I’ll leave you to your harem. Don’t drown.”
“I won’t.”
She stood up and joined Élise by the barbecue area, where the staff were preparing skewers of lamb, beef and chicken. Louis turned and watched his mother. Judith sat beside the kiddie pool with Victoria, one hand holding a plastic dolphin while Victoria poured water from a yellow cup into Judith’s lap. The water splashed, and Judith laughed, wiping her face with the back of her hand. Victoria clapped her hands and did it again. Louis felt a warmth spread through his chest. He had missed the normalcy and simple moments like this.
He stood up and walked to the bar. Venessa sat on a high stool at the end of the bar, her sunglasses pushed back over her hair. One hand held a drink with melting ice. The other moved across a tablet. She glanced at him, then returned to the screen.
“Nice shorts,” she said. “Auriel’s taste has improved.”
Louis laughed. “She always had good taste. She just has more to work with now.”
“That’s one way to put it.” Venessa took a sip of her drink.
Constantine finished shaking the drink, poured the contents into a coupe glass, and slid it across the bar toward Louis.
“Try this,” he said. “A new recipe.”
Louis picked up the glass. The liquid was a pale amber. He took a sip. It was smooth, with notes of citrus and a hint of smoke, followed by a warming burn.
“Good,” he said. “Strong.”
“That’s the point,” Constantine said, leaning against the bar. “The world is full of weak people and weak drinks.”
Gladice got out of the pool and walked toward the bar, water dripping from her blue one-piece. Constantine smiled at her.
“Welcome to the party,” he said. “Drinks?”
“Something tropical.” She took a seat beside Louis. “And strong. I’m celebrating.”
Constantine set a tall glass on the counter. “I think you earned a Collins Special.”
She leaned over the bar. “What’s that?”
“Whatever I want to make you.” He added white rum, lime juice, mint, and simple syrup to the shaker. “And I think you deserve something with heat.”
He shook it hard, strained it over ice, topped the glass with ginger beer, and added a mint sprig.
Gladice took the glass and sipped.
“Fuck, that’s good.”
“I know,” Constantine said. “I was the best bartender in West LA back in the undergrads.”
Gladice raised an eyebrow. “No shit?”
“No shit.” He smiled. “Ask Venessa.”
Venessa looked up. “He was. I was there. He was a showoff even then.”
“You two know each other from college?” Gladice asked.
“We did,” Venessa said. “The good old days.”
“The best days,” Constantine said, making a second drink for Venessa.
Gladice took another sip of her cocktail. “I thought the Supreme President would have… more important things to do than bartend for a pool party.”
Constantine’s eyes met hers. “I like bartending.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m good at it.”
Gladice laughed. “Of course you are.”
Angelique joined them at the bar. “What’s so funny?”
“Constantine’s bartending skills,” Louis said.
Angelique looked at Constantine. “Are they good?”
“Good enough.” Constantine pushed a glass of pale sparkling liquid toward her. “French seventy-five variation. With elderflower. For the princess.”
Angelique took the glass. “Thank you.” She sipped. “Not bad.”
“I aim to please.” Constantine smiled.
Louis chuckled. “It’s like how you said ‘I serve the Dominion’ in your speech.”
“Precisely,” Constantine said. “I am the ’servant’ of the people. And the bartender of the house.”
Angelique laughed. “I like that.”
Willa slid onto the next stool. Her new silver-frame glasses gave her an even sharper look.
“The Supreme President as a bartender.” She smirked. “I’d love to see the press run that.”
“Keep my secret,” Constantine said, “and I’ll make you a drink that will make you forget they exist.”
“Deal.”
He stirred gin, grapefruit juice, and rosemary syrup over ice, topped the glass with soda water, and handed it to Willa. She took a sip.
“You’re not lying.” She swirled the glass. “This is good.”
“See? I’m not all politics and power.” Constantine winked. “I have other skills. Many of them.”
Gladice leaned forward. “I’d love to see your other skills.”
Angelique kicked her under the bar. “Behave yourself.”
Gladice laughed. “I’m just being honest. He’s the most powerful man in the world. And the hottest. I’m allowed to be curious.”
“Curiosity killed the cat,” Willa said, taking another sip of her drink.
“I’m not a cat,” Gladice said. “I’m a tiger. And I like to play.”
Constantine laughed. “I like your spirit, Sergeant Simington. You’re a true New Orleanian.”
“Damn right I am,” Gladice said, finishing her drink in one go. “Can I have another?”
“Of course,” Constantine said, taking her glass.
Angelique leaned toward Louis. “She’s going to get drunk.”
“She deserves it,” Louis said, watching Gladice. “We all do.”
“You’re not wrong,” Angelique said, sipping her drink. “But she’s also… Gladice. She might say something she shouldn’t.”
“Let her,” Louis said. “We’re all family here.”
Angelique smiled. “Okay.”
Louis stood up. “I’m going to check the others.”
He walked to the pool’s edge, where Donya, Cherish and Maeve sat with their feet in the water. He sat beside Cherish and wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into him.
“This is nice,” she said.
“It is,” Louis said. “How are you feeling, Cherry?”
“Good,” she said. “A little overwhelmed. But good.”
“Me too,” Maeve said, looking at the water. “The water is warm. I like it.”
“It’s heated,” Louis said. “Year-round.”
“That’s something,” Maeve said. “We never had a pool in Beckley. Just a river. Cold. And polluted.”
“I’m sorry,” Louis said.
“You don’t have to be,” Maeve said. “It’s not your fault. And I’m here now. With you. With them.” She nodded toward the other women. “It’s better.”
“Much better,” Donya agreed. “I never thought I’d be in a place like this. I mean, I’ve been to nice resorts with my family. But this… this is something else.”
“It’s my dad’s style,” Louis said. “He likes to have the best of everything.”
“He does,” Donya said. “And he seems to like us. I mean, he’s willing to build us a compound in Honolulu.”
“He is,” Louis said. “Because he loves me. And he trusts my judgment.”
Donya leaned in and kissed him. Her lips were soft. “And he trusts us too.”
“He does,” Louis said, kissing her back. “I told him. I told him we are a family.”
“I am glad you did,” Donya said. “I was worried he would be angry.”
“He’s not,” Louis said. “He’s happy for me. For us.”
“That’s good,” Donya said, leaning back. “Because I don’t think I can go back to my old life. Not after everything.”
“Come on,” Louis said, standing up. “Let’s join the others for a drink.”
They walked to the bar. Savannah leaned against the far end of the bar. Oversized sunglasses hid her eyes. She watched Constantine make the drink and said nothing. He set an amber drink with a large cube of ice in front of her.
“Old Fashioned with smoked cinnamon. For the woman who doesn’t like small talk.”
She took the glass and looked at him over the top of her sunglasses. “That obvious?”
“No.” He smiled. “But it’s a good guess.”
Savannah took a sip. “Not bad.”
Louis sat on a stool beside her. Donya took the next one. Cherish and Maeve stood near the end of the bar, watching with wide eyes.
“Something for the newcomers.” Constantine looked at Donya for a moment, then reached for a fresh glass and began mixing another drink.
“Cucumber gin cooler,” he said. “For a refreshing return.”
Donya smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Collins.”
“Constantine.”
She nodded. “Constantine.”
Louis stood and touched Cherish’s arm. She turned to him.
“Want something sweet?” he asked.
She nodded quickly.
Louis nodded to his father. “Dad, something sweet for Cherry. Nothing too strong.”
Constantine measured a small pour of tequila into the shaker. He added mango purée, lime juice, and orange liqueur, shook the mixture over ice, and topped the glass with sparkling water. He added a lime wheel.
“Mango margarita.” He set the glass down. “Easy and bright.”
Cherish took the glass with both hands and tried a sip. She took another.
“Oh, that’s nice.”
“I’m glad.” Constantine looked past Cherish to Maeve. Maeve eyed the bottles. “And you?”
Maeve stepped up to the bar. “I’ll take beer.”
“We have that too.” Constantine opened the cooler beneath the bar and pulled out a bottle of beer. He opened the bottle and handed it to her.
Maeve took a long drink. “This is better than what we had in Beckley.”
“Welcome to the free world.” Constantine smiled.
Maeve took another swallow. “Yeah.”
Louis looked past Savannah at Willa. She was swiping through her phone. He saw a satellite map.
Serana came toward the bar, her hair still wet. She caught Louis’s eye and rolled her eyes toward the bottles.
“Looks like Dad’s playing bartender again.”
“He’s good at it,” Louis said.
Serana leaned on the bar. “I’ll have what you’re having, Dad.”
“You are too young to drink what I’m drinking.”
“Then surprise me.”
Constantine mixed her an herbal mocktail and added a curl of orange peel. She took a sip and nodded.
“Acceptable.”
Constantine chuckled. Serana looked at Willa’s phone. “Is that Hawaii?”
“Yes,” Willa said. “We are going to build something there.”
Louis leaned closer. The screen showed Oahu, with Honolulu along the southern coast. The others moved closer until everyone was looking at the phone.
Willa zoomed in. “Honolulu has space between the mountains and the city. Good infrastructure. Close to the beach but not isolated. Constantine is right. It’s better than Kauai for what we need.”
“I usually am,” Constantine said.
Gladice laughed. Serana looked at Louis.
“So you are really doing this? You and all of them?”
Louis nodded. “We are.”
“Don’t break their hearts, Louis. You have a lot of hearts now.”
He smiled. “I know.”
“So where exactly are we building?” Angelique asked, leaning over the map.
Willa dragged the map from central Waikiki toward Kahala, east of Diamond Head. She tapped the screen.
“Kahala?” Angelique rested one elbow on the bar. “That’s a rich area. Old money.”
“Good,” Gladice said. “We are rich now.”
Donya looked at the screen. “The beach doesn’t look great there.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Angelique said. “It’s more primal.”
Willa moved the map back toward Waikiki and stopped near its Diamond Head end.
“There,” Cherish said suddenly.
The others turned to her. Her finger hovered over the shoreline near the foot of Diamond Head. Willa zoomed in, and the name appeared on the map: Sans Souci Recreational Park. The satellite image showed a narrow beach, a strip of parkland, and paths through the trees. Buildings bordered the park on one side, while the beach faced open water.
Cherish leaned closer until her shoulder pressed Louis’s arm. “That’s beautiful.”
Donya frowned at the screen. “That’s a park.”
“Public space,” Angelique said. “But look at the views and location.”
“Can we build there?” Gladice asked.
“You can’t build inside a park.” Donya shook her head.
Maeve looked at Constantine. “So we can’t live there.”
Constantine did not answer immediately. He took Willa’s phone and studied the map without speaking. Louis knew the look; his father was already deciding how to make it happen.
Venessa leaned closer to look at the phone in Constantine’s hand. “You know that is a public recreational park under city jurisdiction, yes?”
“I know,” Constantine said. “It will photograph well.”
Serana laughed, then covered her mouth.
Venessa looked at Louis, then back at Constantine. “A private oceanfront residence for your son and his household cut out of a public beachfront park in one of the most desirable areas of Honolulu. That is quite a statement.”
Constantine turned the phone toward the group. “It is.”
“The media will love it,” Angelique said. “And the public will hate it.”
“That’s why instead of a wall,” Constantine said. “We will redesignate, compensate, rebuild access, improve adjacent public facilities, create a mixed-use civic frontage, and then take it.”
Savannah gave him a hard look. “And the park?”
“Smaller, but better.”
“The locals will riot,” Angelique said.
“They will not.” Constantine smiled. “We will offer a nice tax cut to the affected businesses and build a new water park. Everyone loves a water park.”
Gladice stared at him. “You’re serious.”
“Of course I’m serious.” He set the phone down. “It’s a perfect location. Good visibility. Close to the city. Private but not isolated. And you get the beach.”
Maeve scowled. “But it’s stealing.”
“No.” Constantine shook his head. “It’s a negotiation. People do it every day. The only difference is I have more to offer.”
Savannah picked up the phone, studied the map, and set it back down. “It’s perfect.”
“I agree,” Louis said.
Donya looked around the group. “I think it’s crazy.”
“But it’s our kind of crazy,” Willa said.
Cherish was still looking at the map. “Can we really live there?”
“Yes.” Louis touched her shoulder. “We can.”
“I will call Governor Kawano later and see that it is done,” Constantine said. “You will like him. He knows when to say yes.”
Venessa typed on her tablet. “I will need a statement ready for when this leaks.”
“You will have one,” Constantine said. “We will talk about a new era of urban planning. We will talk about sustainable luxury. We will make it sound like a gift to the public.”
Gladice lifted her glass. “The audacity. I love it.”
Angelique looked down at the map and smiled. “It’s exactly the right kind of trouble.”
Élise came to the bar carrying a tray of glazed skewers. She set the tray on the bar.
“Something to eat with your drinks.”
Gladice took one. “You’re a lifesaver, Élise.”
“Thank you, Miss Simington.” Élise gave her a small smile and left.
Louis bit into a lamb skewer and looked at his father. “How much is this going to cost?”
Constantine sipped his drink. “Dozens of millions just for the land. More for the build.”
Willa blinked. “Dozens?”
“Yes.” Constantine said. “We will present it as a youth-led model for cooperative living and the future of the Dominion.”
“Propaganda,” Savannah said.
“Of course,” Constantine said. “But good propaganda. The kind that makes people want to be part of it.”
Angelique laughed. Cherish ate a piece of beef without looking away from the map. Donya looked from Constantine to the screen. Maeve took another long drink.
“You will need a public-facing function,” Venessa said. “Something people can enter. Something useful. If the first thing they see is a locked gate, the story becomes theft. If the first thing they see is civic value, we have room to work.”
“An art space,” Serana said. “Like a museum or gallery.”
“No,” Savannah said.
Venessa looked at her. “What then?”
Savannah paused. “Training and wellness. Something for the mind and body.”
Louis looked down at the map. He pictured an open ground floor facing the ocean, with weights, mats, ropes, punching bags, and people training inside.
“A gym,” he said.
Gladice turned toward him. “Now we’re talking.”
“A state-of-the-art training center,” Louis said. “Open to the public by appointment. Run by us. The other floors above it are private.”
Constantine nodded once. “Yes.”
“That’s strong,” Venessa said. “And it aligns with your image.”
Serana raised her skewer. “Gym is better. Rich people stealing public land sounds bad. Rich people turning public land into a gym that benefits the community sounds much better.”
“Exactly.” Constantine smiled. “Smart girl.”
Serana smirked. “I learned from the best.”
Venessa made notes on her tablet. “We will coordinate with the Office of Parks and Recreation. We will launch the narrative before we close on the land. We will present the gym concept as the new face of the redevelopment. The price of membership will be steep enough to keep it elite, but not exclusive. We need visible diversity in the members. Media-friendly faces.”
“The wives of industry leaders,” Judith called from the patio. “The daughters of city officials.”
Venessa smiled. “Yes.”
Gladice raised her glass to Judith. “Spoken like a true Minister of Culture.”
Judith laughed. “I have been doing this a long time.”
“And we will make the whole story about community, health, and the future of cooperative living.” Venessa finished typing. “By the time the media asks about the private floors, it will sound like a minor detail.”
“They will still ask,” Savannah said.
“And we will not answer.” Constantine picked up Willa’s phone and placed it on the counter where everyone could see the map. “Welcome to the beginning of Pax Pacifica.”
Louis raised his glass. “To Pax Pacifica.”
Constantine raised his. “To the future.”
The others joined them, and the glasses clinked above the map. Before they lowered their drinks, Venessa was already typing again.
“Now,” Constantine said, looking around the group. “Enough about land and logistics. This is a celebration. Let’s dance! Music!”
He snapped his fingers. The DJ in the booth switched tracks. The easy electronic music faded, and a heavy, hypnotic house beat filled the air. The pool lights changed color, shifting from blue to magenta to green. Gladice grabbed Willa’s hand and pulled her toward the poolside dance floor.
“Come on, nerd. Show me your moves.”
Willa laughed. “I don’t have moves.”
“Everyone has moves,” Gladice said, swaying her hips to the beat.
Savannah watched them. Louis walked over to her. “Come on. Dance with me.”
“I don’t dance,” Savannah said.
“I’ll teach you.” He took her hand. She resisted for a second, then let him pull her to the dance floor. He wrapped an arm around her waist and started to move with the beat. She was stiff at first, then she started to relax, moving with him.
Gladice saw them and laughed. “Look at that! Savvy’s dancing! I never thought I’d see the day.”
Savannah shot her a look, but she kept dancing. Cherish and Maeve joined them. Cherish copied Gladice, her movements a little clumsy but enthusiastic. Maeve just bobbed her head and tapped her foot. Donya swayed by the side, watching and smiling. Louis kept his eyes on Savannah.
“You’re doing good,” he said. “You’re beautiful.”
“Thanks,” she said, her lips close to his ear. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Just wait,” he said, spinning her around. She laughed.
The music got louder. Constantine joined the dance floor. “Who dares to challenge the Supreme President to a dance-off?”
Louis laughed. “Challenge accepted.”
They moved to the center of the dance floor, facing each other. The crowd formed a circle around them. The DJ put on a punk rock remix with a heavy bassline. Constantine moved with a confident swagger, his body flowing with the beat. Louis matched him step for step, his movements a little more erratic. They locked eyes, grinning. The others cheered them on. Venessa took out her phone and moved around the circle, taking photos. Gladice was screaming with excitement.
“Go, Louis! Go!”
The remix peaked, and Louis dropped to the floor and spun on his back, popping up to a crouch. Constantine laughed and did a smooth slide, ending with a pose. The music switched back to the house beat, and they both stopped, breathing heavily.
Gladice ran to Louis and hugged him. “You won!”
“I don’t know about that,” Louis said, looking at his father.
“You held your own,” Constantine said, wiping sweat from his brow. “You’ve got some moves.”
“I learned from the best.”
“Damn right you did,” Constantine said, taking a bow. “Now, I need a drink.”
He walked back to the bar. Louis watched him go, then turned to the women around him.
“He’s something else,” Willa said. “I’ll give him that.”
“Yes,” Angelique said. “He is.”
“I think he likes us,” Cherish said, her eyes wide.
“I think he does too, Cherry,” Louis said. “Or at least, he likes the idea of us.”
“Of course he does,” Gladice said. “We are amazing.”
“That you are, my love,” Louis said, kissing her. “Let’s get into the pool. All of us.”
Louis led the way to the infinity pool. The water was warm. He dived in, emerging at the center. Angelique swam up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Got you,” she said, laughing.
He turned in her arms and kissed her. Her lips tasted faintly of elderflower and citrus. Then Gladice splashed them both.
“Hey!” Louis said, wiping water from his face.
“Catch me if you can!” Gladice laughed and swam away.
Louis chased her through the water. Gladice screamed with delight and swam faster. He almost caught her near the deep end, but she ducked under the water and swam away. He surfaced and looked around. She was already several feet away, splashing water at Willa. Willa laughed and splashed back. Not far from them, Donya was floating on her back, her eyes closed. Savannah had climbed to a pool float and was sunbathing. Cherish was swimming in a circle. Maeve sat on the pool steps, watching the others swim.
“Are you getting in?” Louis asked her.
She hesitated. “I don’t know how to swim.”
“I’ll teach you,” Louis said. “Come here.”
Maeve stood and moved down one step toward him. Louis reached out and took her hand. Her hand was warm, but her grip was tight. He held on while she stepped into the water. She gripped his arm when the water rose above her waist.
“Relax,” he said. “You won’t sink.”
“I don’t like it.”
“You will,” he said. “I promise.”
He turned her away from him and wrapped one arm around her waist. She stayed rigid at first, then slowly allowed him to support her. He kept them beside the steps, where he could stand easily, and helped her stretch her arms forward.
“Kick slowly.”
She kicked unevenly but kept going. Her red hair spread across the water beside her face. Louis held her steady with one arm around her waist. His other hand cupped her breast through the bikini, his thumb moving over her nipple.
Maeve looked back at him. Louis smirked.
“Good,” he said. “You’re doing it.”
Her eyes were still wide, but she was beginning to smile.
“I’m swimming?”
“Yes.”
She laughed once, still breathing hard. “Holy shit.”
“Want to go deeper?”
She looked toward the deeper water, then back at him, and nodded. Louis walked backward, supporting her as they moved away from the steps. Maeve kept kicking, and her rhythm became steadier. He eased his hands away. She kept herself afloat.
“I’m doing it!” she shouted. “I’m swimming!”
Angelique and Gladice cheered from across the pool. Savannah clapped. Maeve laughed again and began kicking fast. Louis caught her before she could dip under.
“Easy,” he said, smiling. “You don’t have to win a race yet.”
She laughed and splashed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. He held her waist.
“Thanks,” she said.
He kissed her. She kissed him back and parted her lips. Her legs curled around his hips. He grew hard against her. She felt it and pressed her hips against him once.
“Someone’s excited,” she said.
“You’re welcome to blame yourself.”
She laughed and kissed him again. Venessa walked over in a yellow bikini, her phone already raised. “I need photos,” she said. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
Louis raised an eyebrow. “What kind of photos?”
“The happy kind,” Venessa said. “Smiles. Laughter. Sunlight.”
Maeve looked from Venessa to the raised phone. “Now?”
“Yes,” Venessa said. “Now. Pretend I’m not here.”
Louis kept laughing, but Maeve began glancing toward Venessa’s phone.
Venessa shook her head. “No. Not posed. Don’t do that. The second you all remember you are being photographed, you look like actors. Be real.”
Maeve snorted.
“She’s not wrong,” Savannah said from the pool float.
Venessa pointed at her. “Good. Keep that face.”
“What face?”
“Exactly.”
Venessa moved around the pool, taking photos from different angles.
Constantine called from the bar. “Venessa, are you working at my party?”
“Yes,” she said. “I am building the narrative.”
“Then make it look good.”
Venessa gave him a mock salute. “I always do.”
Louis took Maeve’s hand and led her back toward the steps. “Let’s take a break.”
“Okay,” she said, letting him guide her.
They sat on the steps together. Louis wrapped an arm around her. Maeve leaned her head on his shoulder.
“I still can’t believe I swam,” she said.
“You did great.”
“I have you to thank for that.” She looked up at him. “And maybe more.”
Louis smiled and kissed her forehead.
Venessa walked over and snapped another photo. “Perfect. That’s exactly the kind of photo I need. Natural. Affectionate.”
Louis rolled his eyes. “Can you give us a break, Venessa?”
“Not yet,” she said. “I need more content. Don’t worry, I will be done soon. And I promise to only use the good ones.”
She walked away, her phone still raised. Maeve watched her.
“I don’t like her,” she said. “She’s always watching us.”
“She’s just doing her job,” Louis said. “And her photos are always good. She won VOP’s Photojournalist of the Year three years in a row before she became Minister of Information.”
“I don’t care,” Maeve said. “She makes me feel like I’m on display.”
“I know,” Louis said. “But we need her. For now.”
Maeve sighed and rested her head on his shoulder again. “It’s still better than Beckley. At least here we are fed.”
“Much better,” Louis agreed.
“Do you think we will have privacy in Pax Pacifica?” Maeve asked.
“Some of it,” Louis said. “The media won’t be able to get inside. And we can ask for no live-in staff, if we want to.”
“I would like that,” Maeve said. “I don’t like strangers in my space.”
“Me neither,” Louis said. “So it will only be the eight of us. In our own home.”
Maeve smiled. “Eight of us. That still sounds weird. But in a good way.”
“I know,” Louis said. “But we are. And we will be.”
“Yeah,” Maeve said. “We will.”
Louis glanced at Venessa, who was still taking photos of the others by the pool. “We should tell our own stories. In our own way.”
“I like that,” Maeve said. “But how?”
“I don’t know yet,” Louis said. “But I will think of something.”
“Okay,” Maeve said. “I trust you.”
“Good,” Louis said, kissing her forehead. “Now, let’s find a cabana. I need a break from the sun.”
“Me too,” Maeve said.
They got out of the pool and walked to an empty cabana near the bar. They lay down on an outdoor daybed. Maeve rested her head on Louis’s chest. He stroked her wet hair.
“This is nice,” she said.
“Yeah,” Louis said. “It is.”
They lay in silence for a while. Louis could hear the music from the pool and the sounds of laughing. Maeve lay still against him for a while before she spoke.
“I was thinking about my sister.”
“What’s her name?”
“Rebecca,” Maeve said. “She’s two years younger than me. She’d be eighteen now.”
“She taught you how to play guitar?”
Maeve nodded. “Yeah. She was better than me. She could sing too. She had a beautiful voice. She wrote songs about the mountains and the sky. She wanted to see the world.”
Louis’s arm tightened around her. “Want me to teach you how to play again? I have a guitar collection, you know.”
“Maybe later.” Maeve’s fingers traced patterns on his chest. “I’m just happy here. With you. And them.”
“We are happy to have you,” Louis said.
Maeve looked up at him. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me, Louis.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” he said.
She smiled. “You don’t have to lie. I know I’m not like Angelique, or Gladice, or the others. I’m just… me.”
“That’s all I want you to be,” he said. “Just you.”
She smiled and rested her head on his chest. “I love you, Louis.”
“I love you too, Maeve.”
He held her for a while, then closed his eyes and let the sun warm his skin. He felt Maeve’s breathing even out and knew she was asleep. He kept holding her.
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