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CHAPTER ONE
“I’m so ready for this getaway,” said Lauren, leaning back in the rocker on Erin’s porch. She crossed her long legs, swinging her foot back and forth, her sandal loosely hanging on for dear life. She still looked like the young woman whom Trak married. At least, that’s what they all saw. Still beautiful, lithe, her once blonde hair, now a silvery blonde, but her amethyst eyes seemed healthier and happier than ever.
“The guys have been so busy these last few years, and this summer has been hotter than usual. I just want some mountain breezes, cool air, and no electronics. None!”
“I hear you, Lauren,” smirked Erin. “I thought retirement would look different than this. I’m actually not sure what I thought it would look like. But I guess I can’t blame the guys for staying busy. We’re doing the same. Of course, all of this is also our fault. We gifted them Gray Wolf. Once their name was out there and people knew who they were, we couldn’t control the number of requests coming at them.”
“Yes, but we keep busy in our own way, and still attend to the houses, the food, the kids, grandkids, all of it. I feel like they’ve become complacent and expect that we’ll do those things,” said Faith. “I never thought I’d say that about Ian before.”
“Let’s face it,” said Grace, “we could say it about all of them. Do you agree, Lena? Lissa? All of you?” She looked at the faces of the dozen or more women sitting on the huge front porch, and they all nodded.
“I guess I haven’t thought much about it because this is all I know,” said Jenna. “I’ve been so busy just trying to find my place here, I didn’t pay much attention to whether it was normal or not. I love Nash, but I can also say that I thought at our age we’d have a lot more free time together.”
“Unfortunately, it’s very normal,” said Kari. “Although I can’t really bitch at Pierre when I’m working non-stop as well. We take on so much pro bono work, it’s like I can’t walk away or I’d be leaving the rest of the legal crew in the lurch. I don’t want to do that to them. It’s all too much.”
“So, what’s the solution?” asked Alexandra. “We’ve been through this a million times, but somewhere in the recesses of their brains, our brains, we think we can save the world. We can’t. The world doesn’t want to be saved, or if it does, no one can agree on what that looks like.”
“That’s pretty dark for so early in the morning,” said Tory, looking at her friend.
“I know what she means,” said Ella. “How many gangs do we have to go up against? How many corrupt business owners do we stop?”
“How many terrorists?” said Savannah. “How many governments that only want to destroy the rest of the world?”
“How many drug dealers, pedophiles, traffickers?” asked Kat.
“Where does it all stop?” whispered Mary. “We see the good that we do, that they do. Yet we’re called on time and time again to do more, usually with our own funds, our own weapons. We’re fortunate to have Matthew and Irene. But how do we stop it? Or do we? We all want our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to live in a safe world.”
“Of course we do,” said Marie, “but we can’t guarantee that, and it’s foolish of us to believe that we can. We are only human, and worse than that, we’re dealing with humans that don’t see justice, faith, humanity in the same ways that we do. We’re just human.”
“Are we?” smirked Rose. “I know that I am, or at least I was. But what am I now?”
“I know what she means,” said Lily. “Look at us. We’re in our sixties, seventies, and eighties, and yet if someone on the street guessed our age, they would say we were in our forties. Ifeelas if I’m in my forties.”
“I think we all do,” said Ally. “As part of the medical team, I can assure you that we all have the bodies of forty-year-olds, the internal organs of forty-year-olds. I can’t explain it, and neither can the rest of the medical team. To be honest, I’m not sure we want to explain it. Or we’re afraid to explain it. I haven’t figured that out yet.”
“Look, we all know that Mama Irene and Ruby have done something,” said Kat.
“Yes, but what?” smirked Camille. “Listen, I love being young and strong and, dare I say, beautiful, like the next person. Mama looks amazing for her age, Pops too. But at what price?”
“What do you mean?” asked Grace.
“I mean, will we be forced to one day stay on this property and not leave? Although I don’t suppose my mother actually does that, does she?”
“No,” chuckled Faith, “she does not. But people are asking questions. Especially after her recent tree escapade, folks are stopping me all the time asking questions. They are wanting to know how she looks so young, and she seems so vibrant and healthy.”
“It’s not just the pond. Is it, Claudette?” asked Marie. Her sister looked up at her, then slowly looked at each of the faces of her family and friends.
“I’m honestly not sure,” said Claudette calmly. “We all know that Pops is, well, an angel of sorts.”
“An angel of sorts?” frowned Alexandra. “He is an angel, Claudette. We’ve all accepted that to be fact. We don’t know what Irene and Ruby are. Maybe we’re not supposed to know that, maybe we are. But this, all of this, isn’t normal.”
“What are y’all talkin’ about?” asked Irene, walking toward the group of women. They all sat up a little straighter, staring at their matriarch.
“Looks like they got something heavy on their minds,” smirked Ruby.
“Mama, we all want to know how this is possible,” said Marie, sweeping her arm around the circle. “No jokes, no stories, just the truth. How are all these beautiful, physically perfect women still looking the way we do when we are well past our primes?”
“Says who?” laughed Irene. “None of y’all are past your primes. None of you. The idea of a prime is something others put in your head.”
