Takoda considered this carefully, weighing the words against what she'd seen. Then, apparently satisfied, she settled deeper into Sera's embrace with a small sigh.
"That sounds inconvenient."
Dimitri chuckled, raising his cup in a small, private toast. "Yes. Very inconvenient."
But behind the warm conversation and comfortable setting, both elders shared the same unspoken thought. It passed between them in a brief glance, in the tension around Sera's eyes, in how Dimitri's thumb traced his cup edge a moment too long.
Whatever had happened in that boardroom, things between Dakota and Kade had changed.
And neither could tell if that change was a beginning or an end.
"Well," Sera said brightly, adjusting Takoda on her lap, "since shopping is postponed, what should we do instead?"
Takoda perked up slightly, her disappointment momentarily forgotten. "Can we watch a movie? Or something nice?"
