Early morning latte

[Colette Moreau]

She hadn’t been sleeping well, which explained why she was already halfway through her second latte. The café buzzed with the low, constant murmur of ambition. Men and women in suits clustered around small tables, voices pitched just above polite, screens glowing with schedules and projections. Corporate types, all of them.

It was only a block from the Radiance Hotel, which served coffee perfectly well, but Colette had still slipped through the lobby early, coat buttoned tight against the winter morning. She needed the feeling of being just another woman at a small table, not watched like a bird in a cage at Radiance.

She had just started composing a message to her mother when her wallet chimed.

It was Evelyn. Colette smiled before she even opened it.

“Darling,” Colette said as the call connected. “It’s wonderful to hear your voice.”

“Colette,” Evelyn replied, genuinely pleased. “You’re up early.”

Evelyn always sounded warm and effortless, as if intimacy was her native language. It gave the impression that they’d been friends for decades, even though their acquaintance was far more recent.

Colette glanced around the café, then back at the screen. “Oh it’s nothing. I’ve been a bit restless lately” Colette said lightly. “And besides, I’m happy to have caught you. How are you holding up? My mother has been worried. I was just about to send her a message.”

Evelyn’s voice softened. “Things have been challenging, but we are going to come through. We have to be patience But what about you? Are you still at the Radiance?”

“For now,” Colette said. “I suspect that won’t last.”

“Awe,” Evelyn sounded sympathetic. “Is everything okay?”

Colette looked away briefly, ready to change the topic. The truth was, she wasn’t sure what was wrong nor why she was so uncomfortable at the hotel.

“It’s a lovely hotel.” She said.

Evelyn’s eyes sharpened just a touch, the way they always did when conversation edged toward substance. “Have you had an opportunity,” Evelyn asked carefully, “to speak with the Ascendancy yet?”

Colette took a sip of her latte, buying herself a moment. “Not formally. We’ve met socially. He was quite cordial.” She chose the word with care. “And I’ve been invited to see him. An appointment is pending.”

Evelyn’s expression suggested both interest and restraint. “That’s quite something, even so.”

“I’m under no illusions,” Colette said. “An invitation is not influence. It’s simply a door left ajar.”

“But one worth stepping through,” Evelyn said. Then, after a few moments she added, “In the meantime, I wondered if you might be open to another introduction.”

Colette’s brow lifted slightly. “Oh?”

“A woman I think you’d find very cordial,” Evelyn continued. “It’s Natalie Northbrook. She’s been building something very practical. Something protective. A place for women like us to work, train, and exist without having to ask permission or apologize for the space we take.”

Colette leaned back in her chair, interest sharpening into focus. “That does sound intriguing.”

“I thought it might,” Evelyn said, smiling. “I believe the two of you could be… very complementary.”

“Yes,” she said simply. “I think I’d like to meet her.”

Evelyn’s smile widened with satisfaction. “Wonderful. I’ll make the arrangements.”