approachable to his staffers, the way he preferred it. He tried to cultivate the same thing in Reya, and she seemed to have taken to his leadership style comfortably. Aaron Hardy had not developed the same habit, however, choosing to spend more time in his office than in CnC.
This made it all the more surprising, when Julian left his office, to find Aaron still in CnC, talking to Kris Fawkes. Mind you, he reflected, it was more than obvious why any man would want to talk to her for as long as possible… she was certainly beautiful, and with a cultivated personality. He was sure she would be great company…
He suddenly felt, rather than saw, that Reya was just behind him. He half-turned her way, to see that she was examining a datapad, and gave him a half-glance herself. “Message to Geneva is away,” she said matter-of-factly. Julian nodded, and silently regarded the staffers at CnC as they tended to their duties. Reya tossed another casual glance at him, taking note of the specific direction he was
not
looking. “I will say, that Fawkes is a beautiful woman.”
Despite himself, Julian smiled: He knew where this was going. “Hm?” he said, blatantly feigning distraction. “Oh… oh, yes, Miss Fawkes. Yes, she’s quite beautiful.”
“You seem to like what you see,” Reya commented casually.
Julian shrugged. “What’s not to like?”
They both noticed a moment when, as Aaron turned away to indicate something to Fawkes, she spared a considerate glance in their direction. At that distance, it was impossible to tell if she was paying particular attention to either of them, but something in her eye suggested she was inviting at least one of them over.
Reya could guess which. “She seems taken with you.”
“She
seems
taken with Aaron,” Julian pointed out.
“Julian—”
“No.”
Reya finally looked at him directly, and huffed in exasperation. “Julian, for God’s sake, what’s so wrong with the idea of going after a girl?” She pitched it quietly, so only he would hear, though anyone who might have been looking their way would have been able to guess what she’d said.
“What’s wrong?” Julian turned and looked at her directly, speaking in the same low tone. “Thirty years ago, I would have been a pushover. Twenty years ago, they would’ve had a good shot. Ten years ago, it would have been an uphill battle. Today… they can go bother someone else.”
Reya started to protest, but Julian chose that moment to move away, and she decided not to go after him. Julian’s attitude towards women never ceased to perplex her: At sixty-one, he was one of the most vital men that she had ever known; and yet, apparently since he’d become a widow going on twenty years ago now, he still actively shunned other women.
Reya, of course, had no trouble understanding loyalty—or mourning—in honor of a lost loved one, and she knew Julian had loved Mariel. But Julian had taken the concept to some extreme that she simply could not understand, to the point where he simply refused to even entertain the idea of allowing another woman into his life. It was not shyness, she knew: You didn’t become the Ceo of an orbital habitation satellite without having loads of confidence, self-command, intelligence, and an outgoing personality; and he was still handsome and healthy, altogether a great catch for any woman; but he sometimes acted as though he had developed a severe inferiority complex, that applied to nothing else in the world
except women
.
Whenever she dwelt on it, she was continually reminded of the evening when she, Julian, and a number of Verdant higher-ups had attended a dinner in honor of a retiring executive. There had been drinks, loosening everyone up, and there had been single men and women…
lots
of women… many of whom were attached to the arms of people twice their age, and others looking like they were still trying to get set up with theirs. Reya had noticed one very attractive woman who’d
This made it all the more surprising, when Julian left his office, to find Aaron still in CnC, talking to Kris Fawkes. Mind you, he reflected, it was more than obvious why any man would want to talk to her for as long as possible… she was certainly beautiful, and with a cultivated personality. He was sure she would be great company…
He suddenly felt, rather than saw, that Reya was just behind him. He half-turned her way, to see that she was examining a datapad, and gave him a half-glance herself. “Message to Geneva is away,” she said matter-of-factly. Julian nodded, and silently regarded the staffers at CnC as they tended to their duties. Reya tossed another casual glance at him, taking note of the specific direction he was
not
looking. “I will say, that Fawkes is a beautiful woman.”
Despite himself, Julian smiled: He knew where this was going. “Hm?” he said, blatantly feigning distraction. “Oh… oh, yes, Miss Fawkes. Yes, she’s quite beautiful.”
“You seem to like what you see,” Reya commented casually.
Julian shrugged. “What’s not to like?”
They both noticed a moment when, as Aaron turned away to indicate something to Fawkes, she spared a considerate glance in their direction. At that distance, it was impossible to tell if she was paying particular attention to either of them, but something in her eye suggested she was inviting at least one of them over.
Reya could guess which. “She seems taken with you.”
“She
seems
taken with Aaron,” Julian pointed out.
“Julian—”
“No.”
Reya finally looked at him directly, and huffed in exasperation. “Julian, for God’s sake, what’s so wrong with the idea of going after a girl?” She pitched it quietly, so only he would hear, though anyone who might have been looking their way would have been able to guess what she’d said.
“What’s wrong?” Julian turned and looked at her directly, speaking in the same low tone. “Thirty years ago, I would have been a pushover. Twenty years ago, they would’ve had a good shot. Ten years ago, it would have been an uphill battle. Today… they can go bother someone else.”
Reya started to protest, but Julian chose that moment to move away, and she decided not to go after him. Julian’s attitude towards women never ceased to perplex her: At sixty-one, he was one of the most vital men that she had ever known; and yet, apparently since he’d become a widow going on twenty years ago now, he still actively shunned other women.
Reya, of course, had no trouble understanding loyalty—or mourning—in honor of a lost loved one, and she knew Julian had loved Mariel. But Julian had taken the concept to some extreme that she simply could not understand, to the point where he simply refused to even entertain the idea of allowing another woman into his life. It was not shyness, she knew: You didn’t become the Ceo of an orbital habitation satellite without having loads of confidence, self-command, intelligence, and an outgoing personality; and he was still handsome and healthy, altogether a great catch for any woman; but he sometimes acted as though he had developed a severe inferiority complex, that applied to nothing else in the world
except women
.
Whenever she dwelt on it, she was continually reminded of the evening when she, Julian, and a number of Verdant higher-ups had attended a dinner in honor of a retiring executive. There had been drinks, loosening everyone up, and there had been single men and women…
lots
of women… many of whom were attached to the arms of people twice their age, and others looking like they were still trying to get set up with theirs. Reya had noticed one very attractive woman who’d
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