Conclave (Hypernaturals 3)

Helen and The Grandparents

I looked over the chattering group at my table with a feeling of contentment. My wife. Her friend and our occasional lover. My best friends significant other. My Mom and Dad. It felt right.

Once past the opening remarks and the "Please pass the Salsa" kinds of things, we got down to my parents visit.

I saw Helen reaching for her abdomen. From the lost in thought look on her face, I guessed she is probably thinking about how the baby in her is part of this. How Helen is, even more, a part of this family than they know. Lori noticed Helen's gesture too, became my co-conspirator, and discretely pulled Helen's hand away, out of sight under the table.

Helen looked slightly mortified when Lori pulled her hand away and then patted it with affection. She gave Lori a grateful look. All subtle, but my parents are among the least stupid people on the planet. Dad may act like his feet are not nailed completely to the earth sometimes, but for a genius, he was actually pretty good at reading people, when he was paying attention. He is married to my Mom after all.

"So, you guys going to be able to stay long? If I remember right, you normally have a big Rally in March. Wait a minute. That should already be going. You skipping the spring fling?"

Mom nodded "Skipping it. Came here to spend time with you all. We wanted to get back sooner, but I signed up for medical duties at a few events. This rally we were just going to be there, and we'd wanted to be here instead. I hope that's OK."

Jessica squeezed Mom's hand and then held it "Please! You know it is Mom. We are helping Helen with a big event she is putting on over at her resort, but we'll have lots of time to be with you."

Dad raised an eyebrow "You own a resort now Helen? You didn't mention that at Solstice."

"I didn't have it then. I wanted to spend more time here, so buying the resort seemed a good excuse. Now part of my job is here." Helen explained.

"Well. That makes sense. Which one did you buy?" Dad asked. The idea that Helen has enough money to buy an executive retreat of any size is not important to him. In Dad's world, once you have enough money to do whatever you want as he and Mom do, everything after that is of no consequence. Maslow, with his hierarchy of needs, would be proud of this proof of his theorem.

Helen reached over to the sideboard and snagged a brochure with a picture of the retreat and handed it to Dad. A limestone building, with its big portico. Being a brochure it featured happy looking people doing things like getting the luggage out of the trunk of an old but back new then Cadillac convertible. "It's an older one, built back in the 1950s. 'North Travis Shores Executive Retreat and Spa'. Needs some fixing up and general updating. A big group wants it for an event, so we are working on getting it ready. Beautiful place. All limestone and granite. Local native rock. Zeroscaped grounds, so low maintenance. I added and also enclosed a huge pool and Jacuzzi / hot tub. The biggest thing you ever saw indoors and the crew finished it in record time. When I get a chance, I want to get an entire solar roof going, but I have not yet had a chance. It came with a little one. Would you like to come out and give me a consult on it? I would love to do to the resort what you did to this house. If you are interested and going to be here long enough. Standard engineering rates of course."

Dad's eyes lit up "I'd love to! We'll be here for a few weeks, assuming you don't run us out of town, so plenty of time. I know that place by the way. Been to some meetings out there years ago. Rooms and lovely detached cabins both. Nice lodge house. Big long roof lines. Great for water collection and Solar. It will be fun to work with you on it."

I could not wait for the time Helen tries to pay Dad. That is going to be a discussion. Or maybe not. He might take the check and burn it later. Or frame it. Hmmm: I doubt he would want to fight with her about anything. Certainly not money. Yep. It would be framed. I wonder if Helen already knows that about my dad. She noticed his utter lack of response to the part about money with a slight frown.