“You’re insane,” Maurice said, placing binders around the conference room table.

Nancy shook her head as she took her place. “We’re not having this discussion right now. It’s not that serious.”

Maurice’s head snapped to her, his mouth open. “I disagree. Birthdays are important!”

“She’s going to be one. She won’t remember if there was a party or not.”

“The early birthdays aren’t about her! It’s making memories of when she was little.”

Nancy sighed and shook her head. “No.”

“No, what?” Sean asked entering the room to Maurice standing firm against Nancy’s annoyed glare.

“This monster doesn’t want to have a birthday party for Shirley,” Maurice said, holding a binder at Nancy, who rolled her eyes.

“I’d go to a Shirley birthday party,” Sean said with a grin, as he took his seat.

“Thank you!” Maurice said, with a pointed glare at Nancy as he placed the binder at Jeremiah’s spot next to Sean. He put his hands on his hips and pointed to Nancy. “You just wait till Matt hears you don’t want to have a party.”

“Maurice!” Nancy said, but he was already out the door.

Sean chuckled, drawing an exasperated sigh as Nancy put her head in her hand.

“Don’t be such a curmudgeon,” he said. “You used to enjoy a good party.”

Nancy looked up in time to see Jeremiah coming down the hall with Antony.

She pointed at him as she stood to greet them. “Not now.”

----------------------------------------

Ikher finished breakfast, got dressed, and was setting up his ‘workstation’ on his dresser for dividing weed. Vernard and Chuck should bring his drop this morning. As he finished setting up, Ikher heard a loud beeping.

In the front room, he saw a large moving truck parked next to Ada and Georges’s house and the crew pulling out dollies and lift equipment. Exiting onto his porch, Ikher noticed Ken and Jason getting ready to leave for the day.

He flagged them down as he approached. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“You didn’t hear?” Jason said. “Ada fell. She broke her hip and knee.”

Ikher looked back at the moving crew staging in the yard. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Yeah, she’s in for surgery… tomorrow?” Ken said, looking at Jason, who nodded. “They decided a two story home wasn’t the best place for her to rehab. Georges found them an assisted living facility.”

“That’s good. Which hospital? I’ll have to stop by.”

“UC Surgery Center.”

Ikher shook his head. “Where’s that?”

“North side of the Villas. Just south of the Eight.”

“Hmm, thanks. Might see if I can get a ride up and visit her.”

“We’re going later. You could ride with us and make a group trip of it,” Ken said.

Jason nodded in agreement. “Yes! She’d love that.”

“I call Georges today and find when the best time would be,” Ken said before pointing to Ikher. “If you see Janine, let her know. We can all go together.”

Jason deflated but got a warning glare from Ken.

Ikher nodded. “I’ll get a hold of her. Thanks guys.”

----------------------------------------

Sean looked around the table. “If no one has anything else, that’ll be it for today. We’ll reconvene back tomorrow at noon.”

Antony stood and patted Jeremiah on the shoulder before holding the door for Ingrid. Maurice came in to clear the catering.

As Nancy began gathering her things, Mattieus appeared beside her. “What’s this I hear about a party?”

Nancy stood. “Not now, Matt.”

“I disagree, now is good,” Maurice said, coming to stand next to Mattieus.

Nancy grabbed her things and left them in the conference room. She walked down the hall and entered an elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, a large hand grabbed one, making them reopen.

“Must we do this?” Nancy asked as Mattieus and Maurice entered.

Maurice folded his arms. “Yes.”

The doors closed, but again, a hand stopped them. Sean stepped in with an enormous grin toward Nancy. Of course, he wasn’t going to miss this show.

“It’s a travesty not to give that little girl a birthday party,” Mattieus said, mirroring Maurice’s crossed arms. Big and little blocks to progress.

“Travesty’s a bit of an overstatement,” Nancy said as the elevator dinged and the doors opened to her floor. She shouldered past them and opened the doors to her office.

“It is not,” Mattieus said, following her. “That darling girl deserves a delightful party.”

Nancy tossed her things onto her desk and removed her suit jacket, folding it onto her desk. “Do you remember your first birthday, Matt?”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“That’s not the--“ Mattieus started, but then turned away when Nancy untucked and removed her blouse. “What are you doing?”

“Discussing my daughter’s birthday party,” Nancy said, with a slight smile as she folded her blouse on top of the jacket.

“Can you do it clothed?”

“I have to get changed for the salon so I can be ready for the auction tonight. The reason we ended the meeting early.”

“The auction’s four hours from now.”

Nancy started undoing her bra. “Well, some of us can’t just splash on cologne and change clothes.”

“You’re too much,” Mattieus said, turning and walking out as Nancy removed her bra.

Sean laughed as he followed Mattieus out. Maurice, who had seen Nancy undress more than her husband, folded his arms, squinted at her. “This isn’t over.”

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The Grisham Charity Auction, where local celebrities and businesses would donate items or themselves, happened every year. Cancelled last year out of respect for the family’s loss the year before, Malcolm Grisham ensured it happened this year. He wanted to honor his wife’s vision for a better San Ranola and rebranded as the Nadia Grisham Memorial Auction.

Nancy arrived fashionably late, which was right on time, to find her cohorts waiting as the caller announced the start of the auction. Malcolm gave a brief speech, recalling his late wife’s passion for charity and how she believed they were all stronger together.

When the auction started, they cycled through the usual items: dinner with a tv star, flight lessons, or obscure items of local significance. The only item that caught Nancy’s eye was a boat anchor from one of the first merchant vessels to deliver goods to the original ocean town.

She thought it would make a great centerpiece of her building’s history of San Ranola floor. Nancy’s aggressive bidding weeded out all but one person. Their back and forth stirred whispers through the crowd as the bidding approached, then exceeded six digits.

“Nan,” Sean whispered in Nancy’s ear. “You sure about this?”

“It’s for charity,” Nance said, raising her marker again.

As the bidding continued, she tried to find her opponent, but could only make out that they were short with slicked back dark hair. The bidding hit almost a quarter of a million dollars before her foe relented.

“Going once. Going twice. Sold! To Lanover Industries for two hundred thirty thousand dollars.”

By the time Nancy returned from the check claim office, the auction had finished and everyone was making their way into the ballroom for socializing.

Sean looped his arm in hers, swinging her around back the way she came. “You going to put that thing in your office?”

She gave him a wink. “Yes, to remind me of Legal.”

“Nancy!” someone said to their right.

She turned to see Malcolm Grisham coming toward her, arms out. The grey in his hair had outpaced the dark brown, but he looked happy for the first time in a while. She let go of Sean and hugged Malcolm.

“Thank you so much,” he said as he released her. “I worried no one would want the anchor. I don’t have Nadia’s eye for relics.”

“You’re very welcome, even if I hadn’t intended to spend that much.”

“It’s greatly appreciated,” he said, squeezing her arm as he moved to greet someone else.

As Nancy watched him go, she spotted the familiar slicked back dark hair on a short man in a dark grey tuxedo. When she moved in his direction, he turned and his softer, almost feminine facial features made Nancy doubt her initial assessment.

“I love your tux,” Nancy said, coming to stand next to him.

He looked up at her, blank faced, then bowed his head. “Thank you, Mrs. Lanover.”

Nancy snorted. “The only people who call me that either want something from me or want to sell me something. Nancy’s fine.”

“Thank you then, Nancy,” they said. “This suit’s been in my family for a few generations.”

His voice was as soft as his features. Perhaps he was like Maurice’s Evgeni, who preferred the flexibility of being either whatever sex he decided in the moment.

“My father had a similar suit,” Nancy said.

“Your father had good taste.”

“Mmm, that’s debatable,” Nancy said, grabbing champagne from a passing tray. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you at one of these. Your first?”

“I attended once before,” he said and nodded toward the large picture of Nadia Grisham.

Nancy took a deep breath. “Good, you got to meet her. Such a loss.”

“It shouldn’t have happened,” he said with a grimace.

“Agreed,” Nancy said and turned with an eyebrow arched. “I’m sorry, you know me...”

“Apologies,” he said and held his hand out. “Sidney Gilbert.”

When Nancy’s hand engulfed Sidney’s, a shiver ran up her arm from his frigid hand. Acknowledgement flashed across his eyes, but no change in facial expression.

“Apologies,” Sidney said. “What do they say? Cold hands, warm heart?”

“Something like that,” Nancy said, rubbing her hand against her hip. “I’m curious. What did you have in mind for that anchor?”

“I had family on that ship.”

“I’m making it available to the public in a history exhibit. Though, if you have a family connection, I could make it a limited run and return it to you.”

Sidney’s eyes narrowed, and the barest hint of a smile touched the edge of his mouth. “That’s generous, but having it open to the public is good.” He bowed his head again. “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Of course, it was good to meet you.”

“You as well.” Sidney said before walking away.

Nancy watched him leave and made a mental note to ask Malcolm what he knew of Sidney. A hand on her arm made her turn to find Sean next to her.

“You’d best follow your new friend. Maury’s getting Matt riled about Shirl’s birthday again.”

Nancy chuckled. “I’m going to have a party for her. I just like ruffling their feathers.”

Sean barked a laugh loud enough that several people looked in their direction.

“Let the games continue,” he said, holding out an arm to escort her to the next round of her fight.

----------------------------------------

It was Endless Disco night at Moonlighting Cabaret. OzzyManDias swayed, surrounded by other dancing bodies living through the beat. Music was the one thing that could connect all his previous lives. From the time he could walk until now, with an understandable pause after his rebirth, OzzyManDias had been dancing.

Was it his second or third hour on the dance floor? He couldn’t remember. When time had no meaning, you measured events, not seconds. He hoped to measure tonight by receiving some interesting information.

After perhaps another hour, he saw his spy at the end of the dance floor, returned from her mission. Decked out in her archaic but oddly in fashion suit, Sigil waited. When he beckoned her with an elaborate twirl and drawing in of fingers, she stepped onto the dance floor and melted into the bodies. She danced her way to the center and put her back to him. Well, more like her shoulders to his lower back.

“What did you find?” asked OzzyManDias in a whisper only she could hear.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” replied Sigil in kind. “She smelled like the rest of the women there: perfumes and lotions.”

“Most interesting,” said OzzyManDias, grabbing Sigil’s hand and spinning with her.

“What were you wanting to find?”

“I’m not certain,” said he, before turning her back to him and running his hands down her arms as they swayed. “But I appreciate the favor.”

“We owed you.”

OzzyManDias leaned over and whispered in her ear. “And you’ve paid handsomely. Thank your peers for me.”

“I will.”

She disengaged from him and danced her way off the dance floor, where she seamlessly switched to her fast paced normal walk and vanished.

OzzyManDias stayed in the mass of swaying, gyrating bodies as he thought. He’d encountered all sorts of non-human things in the course of his travels, some dangerous, some benign, but had smelled nothing like the construction mogul’s child.

He decided to bide his time and watch. You don’t live as long as he had by being impatient. It was a small world and only a matter of time before he crossed paths with them again.