Abigail sits outside Starbuck’s at Colony Square with a large coffee. Her phone rings.
“Contact has been made,” Genevieve says.
“Wonderful. What’s she like?”
“She’s about how we expected she’d be. I met Alyssa, too.”
“Alyssa was there? Did you have the desired effect on them both?”
“Oh yeah. They both looked like Hamlet seeing his father’s ghost.” She abruptly breaks off and says, “Hey, watch it!”
Another pause, then Abigail hears Genevieve say in a calmer voice, “Sorry, didn’t mean to get in your way.”
“Genni, is there a problem?”
Genevieve doesn’t reply, but Abigail can hear a man’s voice then Genevieve introduces herself to someone. A few moments pass before she returns to the phone. “Abby, things just got way more interesting.”
“In what way?”
“I’ll fill you in when I get there.”
They conclude the call. Several minutes pass before Genevieve appears with quite a bounce in her step. She plops down across from Abigail in an exceptionally good mood. She leans back and sighs.
“Should I assume the meeting went well?”
“Forget that. I have just met the man I’m going to marry.”
Abigail leans on the table. “Oh really?”
Genevieve stares at the sky. “Count on it.”
“Details, please?”
“Steven Asher. L. J.’s attorney. We literally ran into each other as I was leaving.”
“And he proposed?”
Genevieve sits up. “Of course not. But he’s the one. I just know it.”
“Okay, what makes you so sure?”
“You know how you look at someone and just know? That’s the case here.”
“Well, perhaps when we’ve concluded our other business, we can start shopping for wedding gowns. Tell me about Leah and Alyssa. You know, the whole point of us coming here.”
“Oh, yeah. L.J. remains largely a cypher, but she did give me her number, so this is just the beginning.”
“What about Alyssa?”
“You’ll be happy to know she seems every bit as sweet in person as she does on Facebook.”
“Wonderful. Let’s find someplace to eat and you can tell me all about it. I have some news for you as well.”
“Sure.” Genevieve takes out her phone and searches for nearby restaurants. “Lots to choose from.”
“Find somewhere with a patio.”
“What about Galileo’s?”
“You mean, the bagel place?”
“No, this looks like a cafe or bistro. They have a patio and it’s just a few blocks from where we are now.”
“That should do the trick.”
Once they’ve settled in and placed their orders, Genevieve tells Abigail about her visit with Leah and Alyssa.
“Thought I lost it when she asked about Mom.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Just that she’s out of the country.”
“Well, I have some interesting news. I checked in as Zelda and found a message from Barbara saying that her pastor was encouraging her to adopt the remaining embryos that were produced when you were conceived.”
“What does she want with them?”
“Who knows. She sounds like a right-to-life person.”
“I can’t believe she’s trying to get her hands on the embryos. She didn’t have anything to do with producing them. She seemed really nice when I met her as a kid.”
“Religion can change people.”
“I wonder if L. J. knows. We may have to bring her in on this.”
“We’ll need to play that by ear.” Abigail takes out her phone. “That reminds me, I need to look up my older brother.”
“Are you going to see him while you’re here?”
Abigail nods. “That’s the plan. Neil didn’t give me many facts about him other than he goes by his middle name but Jillian gave me an earful.”
“He works for the CDC, right?”
“Yes. He’s a pediatrician.”
Abigail calls up the number. “I’m going to go ahead and call him while I’m thinking about it.” She dials. “Oh, Winn, hi. This is Abigail Worthy. I didn’t expect you to pick up your own phone. Neil was supposed — oh, he did. Yes. I’m looking forward to meeting you, too. Tomorrow?”
She covers the phone. “What are you planning to do tomorrow?”
“I think I may go by Georgia Tech.”
Abigail nods. “It looks like I’ll have some time tomorrow. That sounds great. Sure, just text me the directions. I’ll see you then.” She concludes the call. “He’s invited me to lunch.”
“Sounds like we’re both finding new families.”
