Chapter 52: Offices

I was glad to see no mention of myself or Cameron on the DigiNews feed following the gala.

The mainstream press, on the other hand, had descended into tabloid journalism at its worst. From a photo of us leaving the gala they had leaped to her being romantically involved with me less than a year after Jeryl’s death. That had taken on a life of its own with mud digging trying to paint me as stepping out with Princess Caroline as well. Somehow, they missed having a picture of me with Imogene in Monaco, but that was probably for the best.

I told Tom and Billy to not engage with the media and stayed on our own properties until it blew over. Cameron sent me a note with a big “I told you so!” in it. Things blew up again when she was spotted in Park City for our meeting with Tom and Billy. After that, I asked her to go on a date with someone, so the tragic break-up story could play out and I could get on with my life. She laughed and told me if she had to live in the limelight, so did I.

I took matters into my own hands, hopped over to Stanford, and was photographed taking Chrissy to dinner. The next day the headlines were “Cameron dumped?” Chrissy laughed when I told her I was sending the cover page to Cameron. Chrissy thought it was hilarious after I told her we were both just ‘taking the piss’ out of the media.

“If you really want to give those hacks a kick, you should invite me to spend a weekend with you,” Chrissy teased.

Her comment on the phone suddenly made me realize I might be playing with fire.

“I think you should focus on school and leave pulling the hack’s chains to us older folk,” I replied.

“Can I tell Cameron you called her old?” the tease was back in her voice.

“Lucky for me, you don’t have her number,” I replied.

“I bet I can get it. Elite has me under contract and she used to work for them. I bet I can at least get an email address.”

“Now, you wouldn’t want to get an old family friend in trouble, would you?” I teased back.

“Paul,” her voice sounded serious. “You keep calling yourself old, but you’re not. You aren’t even thirty-five yet. You need to think young thoughts, not worry about age yet.”

I forced a chuckle. If she only knew. “Well, Ali did call me a fuddy-duddy yesterday,” I joked.

“I’m serious, Paul. Go tell the tabloids to sod off and go have some fun while I go back to dreary school and homework. If Ali thinks you’re a fuddy-duddy, have her call me. I’ll set her straight for you.”

“Gee, thanks, I think. I’m glad you’re settled back in class, and I did enjoy having dinner with you last weekend.”

“Me, too. Now I just need to figure out how to get you to take me to some dances this year. Otherwise, the Stanford girls will think you’re stepping out on me, too. I never knew you were such a cad, Paul.”

I laughed. Chrissy had a way of keeping me off balance and entertained.

“Get back to work on school, youngster, and I’ll get my nose back to the grindstone as well.”

I ended the call and looked up to see Lila smiling from my doorway.

“What’s up?” I asked as I motioned her in. I knew she wasn’t on my calendar for an appointment. She and Hunter were working out of Park City this week, before Hunter and I spent some time in the lab.

“I was just checking up on you. I heard actual laughter as I walked by and wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“I’m fine. Are you my p-shrink now?”

She shook her head. “No, just your friend.”

I nodded. “So, what’s up?”

“Hunter and I are going to need a little time off next year,” she said without further preamble.

‘Really? At the same time?” I had a suspicion as to the reason.

She nodded. “We both think it’s important for parents to be around when their child is born,” she said with a grin.

“Congratulations!” I said as I stood and came around the desk to give her a hug. “I’m surprised you beat Hunter to the punch in telling me.”

She laughed. “He’s got fresh data to pour over. Besides, I lost the coin toss, so had to tell you.”

“It’s great news. I’m happy for you.”

“We’re happy, too. It’s a new chapter for us both. We’re probably going to stay in Ireland for a bit.”

“Okay. We’re all pretty good at working virtually now days.”

Lila took a few minutes to lay out how she planned on handling security operations while she was on maternity leave and once she couldn’t travel. Hunter would be available right up until the birth but would then stay home for at least a month. As soon as we were done talking, I relayed the good news to Tamara and Allen, so they would manage my calendar appropriately. Lila’s due date was the first week of June. I decided then that Ireland would be a good place to spend part of the summer next year.

By the time my day was winding down, I had nearly forgotten my teasing of the media and was fully focused on the next major milestone for Astra Station, the final launch of spoke modules. The last six modules, which were scheduled for the next launch, had special modifications to allow the rim units to attach directly to the spoke rather than through a regular junction module.

“Allen!” I called.

He came into my office.

“How is the test process on the tensioning cables?”

We planned on running a woven nano-tube cable encased in a CRP-like compound from rim-spoke junction to rim-spoke junction to ensure structural integrity in case the station was spun too fast. Our safety margin without the cables was about a 100%, but I wanted a higher level of safety. Over-rotation was a very low-probability event but could have catastrophic impact if it happened. It wasn’t a risk I was willing to let slide.

“We’re on track. We’ve gotten all six cables manufactured, and they’ve all undergone initial stress tests. We’ve also taken six other cables to the breaking point to ensure it is going to exceed our needs. The lowest rupture was 300 percent of maximum design load, which was at double the current planned rotation velocity.”

“How are we testing for radiation impacts?”

We had run the stress tests in a vacuum.

“Dr. Carmichael and his team created signal generators to simulate radiation exposure. We think it was similar to a fifty-year life span of exposure.”

I was surprised. I had missed that detail in my review.

“Thanks. I missed that,” I admitted.

“No worries, boss. That’s what you pay us for.”

His cheerful answer made me feel suddenly old once again. I motioned him to sit down.

“How are you and Tamara doing?” I asked.

“We’re good. You keep us hopping, but we’re adding PAs to all the department heads and pulling two more in as juniors for us. You’ll see some new faces soon.”

“Before you finalize selections, have the finalists go through orbital indoctrination,” I said.

“All of them?”

I nodded. “I want us to have a pool of potential leaders that can work anywhere we need them to. Astra Station is going to have up to two hundred of our people on it. Who knows which departments are going to have a presence up there.”

“Okay. Tamara and I will get them all scheduled. We were thinking about selecting and training ten total.”

“Ten?” I asked.

“Two to support us, one for Sheryl as COO, one for Candace in acquisitions, one for Hunter, one for Lila, one for Donna at DigiNet, one to support Tom and Billy in PR and media relations, and two extra. We thought we might rotate the spares around the departments of use them on special projects.”

“Are all the department heads okay with the plan?”

He nodded. “We talked them all through the idea. Having an assistant to liaison with the corporate structure without getting bogged down in the individual operations is the goal. We’ve seen a loss of productivity as we’ve grown. These ten people will almost act as understudies for their assigned bosses, and hopefully keep cross-company dependencies on track.”

“Sounds like a fast track to promotion,” I said. “Kind of like what you mentioned when you interviewed,” I added with a smile.

“That’s right. It’s one of the reasons we’re giving preference to prior intern contestants.”

“Good, but I want you to find two or four outside candidates as well. We’ve had a great record of attracting outside talent. We need to continue that effort.”

“Will do. Anything else?”

“How’s the plan for administration of the station coming?”

“Good. We’ve got a review on your calendar for the end of the week.”

I glanced at the clock. It was nearly four. The kids would be home from after school activities soon. I nodded to myself.

“Ok, we’ll cover it then. Anything else for me?”

“Nope, “ he answered.

“Then I think I’ll head home and see what the kids are up to. Thanks, Allen.”

“No problems, boss.”

“I want Chrissy and Jane to come,” Ali insisted. We were discussing her upcoming birthday. Jer had only asked for a low-key affair, a sleep over for some of his school friends, while Ali wanted a full ski-weekend. Most of her guests were local, but Jane and Chrissy were far from close by.

“Chrissy has school,” I countered. “We’ll have to check with Jane and her mother. They might not be able to make it, Ali.”

“But I want them to come.”

“Just because you want it, doesn’t make it so,” I replied. “We’ll invite them, but I want you to be nice if they can’t come.”

“You know I’ll be nice, Daddy,” she said.

I worried when she used that tone. I was starting to understand the concept of ‘eleven going on thirty’.

“You’ll be nice, but will you behave?” I asked.

She pouted. “Of course. Can I invite Aunt Jyl as well? It feels like I haven’t seen her in months.”

“You saw her at Christmas, less than two weeks ago.”

“But she’s fun. She’ll keep you from being a fuddy-duddy for the weekend.”

I laughed. “You know she’s older than I am, don’t you?”

“But she doesn’t act like it, at least around us kids. Please, Daddy?”

“We can invite them, but that’s enough of a guest list. Sundance is wrapping up that weekend, so everyone that’s not local is going to have to stay with us. If you girls are in the bunkroom downstairs, you can only have three local friends. Whose feelings are you going to hurt by not inviting them?”

Ali had become a bit of a local social butterfly in her class. I was surprised that she still made time to call and talk to Jane at least once a week, and that was in addition to a regular email exchange. I had a hard time understanding what two girls half a world apart had to talk about but was happy she had friends.

“We’re fine.” She raised her hand and counted them. “Linda, Monica, Caitlyn, Jane, Chrissy, and Aunt Jyl,” she said.

“You’re not sleeping in the bunkroom with them?” I asked. There were six bunks.

“Oh, I guess Chrissy can sleep upstairs,” she said.

“How about you let Aunt Jyl and Uncle Collin stay upstairs?”

She sighed. “I guess. What if Chrissy doesn’t want to stay down there with us?” she asked. “She might have homework, and stuff.”

“We have more spare rooms up here. I’m sure she’ll be happy just to be invited, but you’re right, she may have homework. We’ll just have to see. She might not be able to make it, like I said.”

“Okay. Can I call and invite her?”

I glanced at the clock and nodded. Ali grabbed her phone and looked for the number. I had gotten both kids the new iPhone for Christmas. Steve Jobs had been resistant to the name at first, but soon embraced it as his own, as was his habit. It was similar to the original device I remembered but launched about a decade ahead of time. DigiNet was the initial, exclusive provider and they were the hottest selling device for the season.

“Hi, Chrissy! It’s Ali,” she said excitedly. “Can you come visit for my birthday party?”

She paced across my office as she spoke. “It’s a ski weekend on the 29th. I’m calling Jane next to see if she can come up. You guys didn’t get to ski this year and I haven’t seen you since the summer.”

She paused for a moment.

“Of course, he does,” she said.

“I don’t know. Do you want to talk to him?” Another pause. “Here, talk to him, but just for a minute. I need to call Jane next. Bye.”

Ali handed me her phone.

“Hi, Chrissy,” I said as Ali crossed her arms and waited for her phone back.

“Hi, Paul. Do you really want me to come out there for the weekend? I mean, you didn’t take me up on my hint that you could take me to the winter ball out here.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it out for that. I told you I had a conflict.”

Of course, as soon as she had asked, I decided I needed to be out of the country. Her mother’s comments still echoed in my ears. I did not want to encourage a schoolgirl crush.

“So, are you going to have a convenient conflict for the Spring Formal if I invite you to that?”

“Do you know the date? I’ll pencil it in if you do. Otherwise, it all depends on business. Of course, I still think an attractive model like you should have plenty of suitors chasing them.”

“Harrumph! They can chase, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let them catch me. If I can come, how would I get there. I’ve got a test the following Tuesday, so need some quiet study time. Actually, I could even use a little help prepping for it. You took Dr. Haskins for materials, didn’t you?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. It was a good class. He’s a solid teacher.”

“So, do you want me to come out?” she asked.

“Ali does,” I replied. “She’s missed you and Jane.”

“I know she does. What about you?”

It was a landmine of a question if there ever was one. Would she be encouraged if I admitted I enjoyed her company? Would she understand there could never be what she seemed to want between us if I invited her?

“Of course, I’d like you to come, Chrissy. I’m sorry if you felt I wouldn’t. I’ve told you before you’re always welcome here.”

She sighed into the phone. “Ok, but we’re going to have a chat when I’m there. If you can arrange a flight, tell Ali I’ll be there.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” I said before handing the phone back to Ali.

More calls were made, none as difficult. I went upstairs and let Mrs. Eccles know of the plans, so she could prepare for a group of pre-teenage girls and other guests. My phone rang as I walked back to my office.

“Hey, stranger,” I said when I saw the name of the caller.

“Hey yourself,” Cameron responded. We had stayed in touch for both work and as friends over the past few months, exchanging the occasional email and calls.

“Did you have a good Christmas?” I asked.

“Christmas, New Years, fun in the sun. Yes, I did. How about you?”

“It was good. The kids and I had fun. Nothing like skiing on a white Christmas. What can I do for you?” I asked.

“I wanted to ask a favor,” she said. “I’m coming up for Sundance this year and my hotel booking got screwed up. How would you like to make the media go crazy again?” she asked with a laugh.

“Well,” I said. “It depends on how far you want to push them. I’m going to have a whole harem here on the last weekend of the festival.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

I explained Ali’s birthday party plans and Cameron laughed. “It sounds like fun. Do you have a couch or something I could sleep on? I’ll be up there for work, but might take a break for a little fun, too.”

“Sure, you can have one of the guest rooms. My sister-in-law and her husband, and our family friend Chrissy will be the other adults riding herd on the girls. What are your travel plans?” I asked.

I jotted down her flight details before spending a few minutes catching up on her life. At the end of the call, I shook my head. Kelly would laugh when she saw the news.

“I think we can have a workable script in another month,” Tom concluded.

Billy, Tom and I were meeting with Cameron in my living room, trying to keep a low profile with all the media in town for the Sundance Film Festival. Billy had been working with Cameron on story ideas and pulled Tom in when they started to work on the overall structure of the movie. The three of them were actually co-authoring the script.

“This is going to be a great story,” Cameron said as we closed the folders with our notes.

Ali came storming in as we all stood. “They’re here!” she yelled, as Jyl, Collin, Jane and Chrissy trooped in behind her.

We all laughed at Ali’s enthusiasm and I went to welcome everyone and play host. Jyl and Collin were as jovial as ever, cracking jokes about the cold weather compared to the tropics of Learmonth. Jane and Ali disappeared downstairs after saying hello to everyone. Chrissy was looking a little put out seeing Cameron.

I smiled and gave her a hug. “It’s good to see you,” I said.

She gave me the arched eyebrow and then reached past me to shake hands with Cameron. “I’m Chrissy,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you finally.”

Cameron gave her a hug. “Don’t be shy,” she said. “After all, we’re sharing a man according to the papers.”

Everyone but Chrissy laughed.

Uh-oh, I thought.

“We got our picture taken earlier this week at one of the Sundance workshops,” I said quickly. “The story took off in the tabloids again. I thought you would have seen it.”

Chrissy blushed. “I did, but I didn’t pay any attention to it. Are you going to take me out to throw them off the scent again, Paul?”

She said it in a teasing manner, but I saw some fire in her eyes.

“Better,” Cameron said. “We’re all going to go out. Do you want to be under his right arm or his left?” she asked.

“Maybe I’ll walk behind him, so I can kick his ass. That would be a good picture, don’t you think?”

Cameron laughed and hugged her again. “I can see we’re going to be friends. I think you’re in the room next to me, let me help you get settled in,” she said. She grabbed the duffle bag in Chrissy’s hands and headed down the hallway with Chrissy in tow.

Jyl watched them for a moment before turning back to me. “Problems?” she asked.

“Worries, more than problems. Chrissy has a little crush on me, I think.”

Jyl shook her head. “You need to be careful, Paul,” she warned.

“I know. I’m trying to be, but she is a nice young woman. I don’t want to hurt her.”

“She’s going to get hurt unless you have feelings for her, Paul. It’s inevitable. Even if you do feel something for her, she’s still likely to get hurt.”

“I know, but I’m not sure what to do about it,” I replied.

“I think you need some sisterly advice,” Collin said as he patted my shoulder and grabbed their bags before heading down the hallway to the guest suite at the far end of the house.

Jyl led me into my own bedroom and we sat down on the couch there.

“What’s going on, Paul?” Jyl asked.

I explained the time Chrissy and I had shared in the spring and then overhearing Camilla talk to her.

“It’s not like we’ve done anything private or sexual, but I really think she might want to,” I said. “Did you see the jealous look when she saw Cameron?”

“Does she have anything to be jealous of?”

“Aside from taking her to the Lunar Gala in September, no,” I answered.

“Why’s she staying here?” Jyl asked.

“Hotel snafu. She called a couple of weeks ago and asked for a favor. I warned her there was going to be a houseful and she said it sounded like fun. Aside from hitting a couple of panels during the week, I’ve stayed in. Cameron has been out for meetings, but said she was keeping her lodging situation private. You know she’s a very private person. She craves some of the anonymity and security staying here provides.”

“She’s also very beautiful,” Jyl said.

“So’s Chrissy. Besides, it’s not like it’s a competition. I’m not romantically involved with either of them.”

“Do you want to be?” she asked.

“Christ, Jyl. How do you want me to answer? Do I get horny? Yes, but not like when we were kids. I’m an adult. I can control myself when I’m around a beautiful woman. I really try not to be led around by my dick.”

Jyl actually laughed. “I know you’re not. Look, Paul, I understand how you felt about Jeryl. I know how she felt about you. Jeryl’s dead. I hate that, but there is nothing I can do about that except to not forget her. You’re still alive and I’m worried about you.”

I sighed. “It seems like everyone is worried about me, except me. I’m doing fine. Besides, what specifically are you worried about?”

Jyl actually blushed. “Shit,” she muttered. “When we were kids, I’d just say it, but now, you’re my boss as well as my brother-in-law.”

“Just say it.”

“I know you and Jeryl had a very active sex life. It’s been almost eighteen months since she was killed. You’ve got two very attractive women interested in you, staying with you. You may not be led around by your dick, but your dick has to be interested in a lead, if you get my drift.”

“It’s not a problem,” I said.

“Paul, I’m a doctor. It is a problem. It’s also normal. You need to get back out there sooner or later. You can’t replace Jeryl, I know that, and would never even suggest it, but you do so much better when you have a balancing force in your life.”

“Are you really giving me a prescription to get laid?” I asked.

“If it comes to that point, yes, I will,” she fired back.

I laughed. “Thanks, but I don’t need your help there,” I said.

“Really?” She had the same arched eyebrow Jeryl and her mother had.

I pulled out my phone and did a quick search. Imogene’s picture from the ABT website was on the screen when I handed it to her.

“Who’s this?”

I gave her a heavily edited version of my time in Monaco.

“Have you seen her since?” she asked.

“No, by her choice. She’s focused on her career.”

“Do you love her?”

“No,” I admitted, “but I could have fallen in love with her. She was so vibrant and different.” I took my phone back and cleared the image.

Jyl was quiet for a few moments.

“So how do you feel about Cameron?” she asked.

“She’s a friend,” I said.

“How about Chrissy?”

“The same?” I heard the hesitation in my own voice.

“Christ, I don’t know. Sometimes I see her and think she is a beautiful, intelligent woman. Other times, I remember her as a lanky teenager who became my and Jeryl’s friend. To put it in an even more awkward place, I also see her as the daughter of dear friends. Fuck, it’s messed up.”

Jyl nodded. “So, you’re not sure of your own feelings. You can’t act on her feelings until you know your own, Paul. You’ll crush her if you let her build you up in her heart and mind and then don’t feel the same about her.”

“I know. I don’t want to hurt her, and that’s what makes any decision hard.”

“Do you want me to chat with her?”

I thought about that and finally shrugged. “I guess I’ll take any help I can get. I’ve got a feeling she is going to ask me to her spring formal sometime this weekend.”

“So, go, but set the ground rules. Keep it as platonic as possible. Don’t lead her on and talk to her mother.”

I nodded. “I will.”

Cameron and Chrissy seemed to be on friendly terms when Jyl and I returned to the living room. I was saved from any pregnant pauses in conversation when our ski valet arrived to get Jane, Chrissy, Jyl and Collin outfitted for the weekend. Ali’s other friends arrived in time for a pizza dinner for the kids. The adults, including Chrissy, enjoyed some red wine with the pizza and then I got the younger ladies settled for a movie downstairs. Cameron blushed when they decided to watch “The Mask”.

The next morning, Chrissy joined me exercising, wearing boy-short style running shorts and a sports bra top. She was definitely attractive and in excellent shape. I worked with weights and the heavy bag while she ran.

“Did you get much sleep?” she asked as I took a break in my workout.

“Enough. I cut the lights on them around one. As soon as I did that, they all fell asleep.”

“Jane was so happy to make some new friends up here,” Chrissy said. She had helped me with the popcorn, the late-night ice cream and the second and third movie showings.

“I’m glad you and she could come. Ali almost thinks you’re her big sister as well as Jane’s.”

“Where was Jer hiding yesterday?” she asked.

“He got invited to spend the night with a friend. He’ll be home later this morning after the girls are out on the slopes.”

“Do you need me to take them out?”

I shook my head. “You’re welcome to help, but I can handle it. Ali and the local girls know the mountain. Jane’s good enough to keep up with them, and Jyl and Collin offered to help ride herd on them.”

“Well, I can’t come to Utah and not ski when there is this much snow on the ground,” Chrissy teased. “I’ll go out for a couple of hours and then get a little studying in. That way I can have my questions organized for you this evening, since you promised to help me.”

“Okay. Anything else you want to do while you’re up here? Lots of movie stars in town, if you want to go out and be seen.”

She laughed. “Cameron has already told me you’re taking us both out tonight. One of the clubs on main street has a band or party or something.”

“Great, just what I need, two hot women fighting over me at a bar,” I said with a laugh.

“So, you think I’m hot?” Chrissy said with a grin.

The weekend flew by. Despite Chrissy’s efforts, I managed to only be alone with her during morning workouts and when I helped her study a bit. Cameron played the ditzy girlfriend in public and the good friend in private. Chrissy teased me with innuendos, but otherwise behaved herself.

Chrissy left with Jane and Cameron on Sunday, but not before putting the weekend of her formal on my calendar and making sure Tamara knew the dates. It looked like I was committed to taking her on a date. Jyl and Collin stayed over to do some work from the Park City offices.

“I still think we go back to the Aristarchus Plateau,” Marco said. “The ‘Tycho Brahe’ has more detailed maps of other locations, but other than the chance at confirming ice in the polar regions, I don’t like the risk profile on a polar landing.”

Since the ‘Selene’s return, ‘Tycho Brahe’ had run two additional fourteen-day lunar orbital missions surveying the surface of the moon. I agreed with Marco’s assessment, but did not want to cut off the conversation.

“But confirming ice would be so valuable to us for a base,” Katie Hicks, the environmental engineer on the team said. “Otherwise, we’re going to need to transport a shitload of mass to make water.”

“What about the other sites?” Todd Walton, the landing pilot asked.

Bedlam broke out as we rehashed the discussion again. Finally, I looked at Allen and gave him a nod.

“Okay, we have three proposals, all with different risk profiles and reward opportunities. Are there any we should eliminate?”

I spoke first. “I don’t like the risks of a polar landing. I’m going to rule it out since I’m not willing to build our first base in permanent shadow with limited LOS back to us. Polar landings need a lot more support. Until we get at least two more landing capable OTV’s up, I’m not willing to risk polar operations.”

Heads around the room and on the video links nodded.

“So,” Allen continued, “It’s either back to Aristarchus or some other location. Aristarchus is a huge region. We can land somewhere else on or near the plateau, or someplace else entirely.”

“We know Aristarchus already. Do we really think we’ll find a better base location?”

“Do we really want a base there?” Katie countered. “We know what it has, but what don’t we get at that location?”

“What are the goals of the base?” Marco replied.

They all looked at me.

“Hey, it was your plan as well,” I said, trying to get some levity back into the conversation. “Our goals are to establish a permanent manned base on the moon to enable production of materials useful to further the exploration of the solar system.”

“But what does that mean?” Marco had learned my trick of asking questions to build consensus and understanding.

“O2 generation first,” Katie said. “Then foodstuff production. Aristarchus can support those initial goals.”

Thomas Culpepper cleared his throat. “We’re getting some interesting results from a material research perspective on the samples brought back. The titanium oxides from Aristarchus can give us not just oxygen through chemical processes, but also titanium to build with. The carbon-titanium aerogel formulation might give us the materials needed to bootstrap construction.”

“How long to decide if that’s feasible?” I asked.

Thomas shrugged. “A couple of months. It would be easier to test in place.”

I nodded. “So, after initial site prep and habitability, we need lab space.”

Everyone nodded.

“We knew that. If we make a base at Aristarchus, we can expand out from there with rovers for further exploration, or use ‘Selene’ for longer journeys,” Hunter said.

“So, what is the material benefit of landing somewhere else?” Allen asked.

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