night.” Charlotte took in the expansive view of the outdoor garden area. With its floor-to-ceiling glass walls, the atrium seemed to float through to the terrace.
Myra placed her hand on Charlotte’s arm. “There was a lot going on here last night. And you were a bit jet lagged.”
“Is it new?”
“You know how much I love my gardens. Well, one winter, Charles and Fergus surprised me by building this space. It brings the outdoors in, and I can have my tea out here all year long,” Myra explained.
Charles continued with the explanation, leaving out the part about the sisters being on the lam. “Myra had been under a lot of pressure and had been away. I wanted to create a space for her to unwind. Yoko provides the interior landscaping as well as the exterior.”
“It’s a little slice of heaven,” Charlotte remarked, in awe.
“Come and sit.” Myra gestured to the table, loaded with a bounty of scones, fruit, finger sandwiches, and small cakes. Charles pulled out a chair for Charlotte and one for Myra and they both sat down.
“I could get used to this.” Charlotte beamed.
Charles took Myra’s hand and gave it a quick peck. “I will leave you lovely women to chat. I have some items I need to work on. Not the least of which is dinner.”
Charlotte let out a pleasant groan. “Dinner? After all this?” She swept her hand across the bounty of their high tea.
“This is just to hold you over.” Myra chuckled. “Charles, what is on the menu?”
As Charles was exiting, he replied over his shoulder, “Oven-roasted branzino with a rice pilaf and asparagus. We’ll start with a Bibb lettuce salad with toasted almonds in a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.” Charles ticked off the details as if he were the maître d’ at a five-star restaurant.
“No head, please?” Charlotte was almost begging, knowing branzino was often served whole.
Myra patted her hand. “Not to worry. Charles fillets it for us. No head. No bones.”
Charlotte relaxed back in her chair. “Will the girls be joining us?”
“Just Annie and Fergus. Nikki has some work to catch up on and wants to do some FaceTime with Jack, who is out of town just now. There are certain technologies I’m not crazy about, but that one seems to be something they enjoy when they’re apart. It keeps them ‘connected,’ as Nikki would say. An electronic tether.” Both women giggled. “The rest of the girls are all working on various projects.” Myra was not about to reveal the true nature of those projects.
Charles returned briefly and poured each of the women a glass of sherry and served it on a silver tray, bowed, and left them alone to chat.
“So, dear, how are you feeling?” Myra said, changing the subject.
“Honestly, I haven’t felt this good in quite a while. This clear. This calm. Must be the way you’re spoiling me.” Charlotte almost started to blush.
“I’m very happy to hear this. But you know, I insist on spoiling you.” Myra gave Charlotte another reassuring pat. “So, tell me, who is that Dr. Marcus you were seeing in London? What was he treating you for?” Enough time had passed, and Myra had to start digging for more information.
“It’s almost embarrassing to talk about.” Charlotte sighed.
“Don’t be silly. We’re friends. You can tell me anything,” Myra reassured her again.
Charlotte took a deep breath. “About a year ago, I was feeling, I guess you could say depressed. Not suicidal or anything like that. I was just lethargic and apathetic. Then I started to have problems remembering things. You know, can’t find the keys. Why did I just go into the kitchen? My mind was wandering, I suppose, but it was starting to bother me a lot. All those things combined led me to think that I should see a doctor.
“My personal physician was retiring and had sold his practice to a Dr. Harold Steinwood. But Dr. Steinwood, it seemed, was a geriatrician and changed the practice to focus on aging. It’s called Live-Life-Long. I thought, ‘Well, that sounds like it’s exactly what I need,’ so I went to see him. He did the normal tests, EKG, blood work, urine, the whole nine yards. He said he and two other doctors, one in New York and one in London, had a joint practice specializing in longevity. The only problem is that the fees are not covered by Medicare or any other insurance. Apparently, it’s too experimental to be covered. So if you agree to be enrolled in the program,