Lucy shrugged. “She would probably like it, but what’s the point if you won’t be living in Alienn?”
“I won’t? Why not?”
She squinted. Didn’t he know about the property back on Alpha-Prime? The premium home he’d be given beneath the sphere in the best area their home planet had to offer?
Lucy didn’t want to spoil their time together. She shouldn’t have spoken at all. “I guess I thought you’d be moving to Alpha-Prime.”
“Oh no. We’ll stay here. My job is here. My family is here.” He turned toward her. “My wife will also be staying here.”
That’s what you think. Wait until you see the rich, spacious place they offer you back on Alpha-Prime.
The tender look of longing he gave her almost made her speak her mind. Almost.
Lucy swallowed hard, inhaled deeply and exhaled without saying a word. If he didn’t know about the offer of a home on Alpha-Prime, she wasn’t going to be the one to tell him. He didn’t need any further encouragement to marry Francine.
She stuffedthattruth on a back burner and did her best to pretend they were simply two friends out and about, talking about mere possibilities not concrete plans. Glancing his way, she wished for about the thousandth time that their situation was different.
“So, what do you think?” he asked.
She’d forgotten the question.
He gestured to the land across the lake.
“Oh, right. The property.” She took a deep breath, smiled and said, “Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to live here?”
Two weeks before the wedding
Axel eagerly waited for Lucy at the Cosmos Café. He’d only seen her in passing a couple of times this past week and always in the company of Valene or Francine or both as the wedding plans marched forward like a hard deadline his heart and soul couldn’t deflect.
His sister regularly commandeered his truck for her wedding machinations. He never knew from one day to the next what vehicle he’d be driving, his quad-cab truck or Valene’s two-seater sports car. Valene’s car was fun to drive, but he barely fit in it even with the driver’s seat shoved all the way back, sometimes steering with his knees because he could.
The other day, Lucy had mentioned finishing the Dirk Crusher book and suggested they have their “book club” so she could return his book to him. They’d set up this meet while shouting across a ten-foot space in the basement. He’d been on his way to his office and Valene and Lucy were headed to downtown Alienn for dress fittings or something else wedding related.
The bell over the café door sounded, but it was only a guy dressed like a trucker. Probably was a trucker. It was, after all, a truck stop. He should settle down. He took a quick sip of sweet tea, letting the tasty sugar rush bring a smile. Almost as good as Dr Pepper. Almost.
The bell above the café door pealed once more. He straightened to attention in his seat as a fresh-faced Lucy entered and waved at him. He waved back.
When she arrived at his table it occurred to him that she didn’t have access to a vehicle. “Did you have to walk? I’m sorry. I should have offered to pick you up. It’s getting dark.”
“Oh, no. I didn’t have to walk.” She grinned. “Valene dropped me off on her way somewhere else after we got done with today’s dress fitting.”
“Good. How’s that going?”
She shrugged. “Fine. I do love my dress. Valene and Francine adore it.”
Lucy seated herself across from him in the booth and he pointed to the glass in front of her. “I ordered you a sweet tea, but if you want something else, let me know.”
“No. Sweet tea is perfect.” She took the little bit of paper off the top of the straw, leaned forward and sucked down a deep gulp. “Umm. So good,” she said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” If he could have done exactly what he wanted, he would have simply stared at her like a goofy man in love for the entire time they were together. Since he was attempting to be friends, making the best out of a difficult situation, he said, “Tell me. What did you think of the book?”
“I loved it.”
“Name the top three favorite things you loved.”
“That Dirk Crusher is so cool all the time. And I loved the twisty story. Oh, and I also loved the surprise ending so much.”
