we keep this love in a photograph

Chapter 20

Jennie's driver pulled up outside Alice's apartment at nine o'clock, idling as the CEO made her way upstairs to the apartment, taking the stairs with the elevator in the lobby out of commission, audible voices drifting through paper thin walls before she'd even made it to the front door. She knocked twice, listening to Rosie's voice grow steadily louder as she approached, and raised a questioning eyebrow as the door was yanked open.

"Morning," Rosie said with a rough sigh as she rolled her eyes and dropped a kiss on Jennie's lips. "You're so lucky you don't have a sister."

"Mm, so much worse than a mass-murdering brother," Jennie agreed as she eased the door shut. "Is everyone ready?"

"No. Leave it up to her to oversleep and pack before we leave."

Wrinkling her nose faintly, she sank down onto the sofa and picked up the autobiography splayed open on the coffee table to pass the time as Rosie and Alice shouted back and forth. It was a comfortable banter that she imagined was normal for the sisters, and Jennie looked up to nod at Ashley as she gave her a commiserating look and joined her with her morning coffee.

"All packed?"

"Ex-military," Ashley said, pointing at herself. "Of course I am."

Nodding, Jennie delved back into the book of essays, wondering whose book it was as she flicked through the pages, picking up snippets as she let the din wash over her. Eventually, Alice emerged with a bulging duffle bag and snapped her fingers as she looked around.

"Sunglasses, sunglasses."

"They're on your head," Ashley called out without looking.

"Ah," Alice muttered, patting the frames resting on her hair. "Keys."

"Coffee table. Now can we go? We're going to be late."

Clicking her tongue with annoyance, Alice snatched up her keys and spread her hands helplessly as she raised her eyebrows at Rosie, who had her backpack on and the front door open. "Your girlfriend owns the plane - you did catch that right?"

"We still have to be on time."

"Then next time don't steal my phone charger and maybe my alarm will go off."

"You said I could have it."

"Alright, let's go," Ashley interrupted, pushing herself to her feet and ushering Alice out the door as she snatched up her own bag.

Jennie followed them out and let Rosie lock up before she shadowed Ashley to the stairs. "Do you have any sisters?"

"Oh, God no, thankfully," Ashley snorted. "But my brother and I used to argue like crazy when we were younger. We eventually grew out of it - unlike these two."

A small smile pulled at the corners of Jennie's mouth as Rosie and Alice's bickering and questions and comments filled the stairwell as they made their way down to the lobby. Filing out into the warm day, the driver climbed out of the car to help stow their bags in the trunk, and Jennie found herself in the front seat of the town car as they pulled out into traffic and made out of the city.

The plane was at a private airstrip that her family owned, forty minutes north of San Francisco, already brought out of the hangar and waiting on the sun baked tarmac. It was a small thing, sleek and a glossy obsidian colour with the J Corporations logo on the side of it, solely used for Jennie's business trips - she didn't go anywhere else to make use of it, and it was a tax write-off in the company's name.

"Well, shit, I thought you were kidding," Alice noted as the car came to a step a dozen feet from the small jet.

Jennie snorted and let herself out of the car, watching as a set of steps descended. Nodding at the private pilot, situated on the tarmac in uniform, Jennie murmured a quick hello as she gripped the railing and made her way up into the aircraft. It was made to fit twelve people, surprisingly spacious given its deceiving size from the outside, and was upholstered in cream leather in a comfortably modern look.