He got out of his borrowed vehicle, strolled to Francine’s door and knocked. He couldn’t wait to kiss her. When she didn’t immediately answer, an edge of concern slid through him. He knocked again. Had she overslept? Decided not to go through with this fake engagement?
The moment he pressed the doorbell, she popped the door open, looking beautiful, but frazzled. Angel sat curled in one hand, chewing on her thumb.
“I have a very bad kitten,” Francine said in lieu of a greeting. She looked down at her little black ball of fur and said, “You have been so naughty.”
Beyond the entryway, he saw chaos in her relatively spartan home. A potted plant lay on its side leaking small clumps dark soil onto the carpet. One of the chairs at her dining table was on its back, and what looked like the shredded mass of an entire box of tissue paper had been strewn all over the visible floor space.
“You could still rename her Troublemaker. I’m sure she’s not used to Angel yet,” Raphael said.
Francine thrust the hand with the kitten at him. “Could you take her for a minute while I attempt to clean up the biggest part of the mess?”
“Sure. We have a few minutes.”
Raphael tucked the young feline against his chest and watched as she righted the plant and the chair, then swept and quickly vacuumed the space. “Looks good as new,” he said when she finished.
“Well, I don’t expect it to last long, but after I leave, it will be my landlady’s chore. Maybe she’ll put Angel through some sort of kitten obedience class while I’m gone.”
“Does kitten obedience class even exist? Seems like an oxymoron to me, given the little I know about kittens.”
“You could be right.” Francine shook her head in resignation and retrieved Angel from him. “For now, I’m going to close her into the bathroom where her litter box is with some water, food and all her toys. I’ll put her scratching post in there, too. My landlady said she’d come over every day at least once, probably more. I’ll leave her a note as to where Angel is and what she’s capable of if left out and about unsupervised.”
“Are you packed?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m ready to go.”
“Great. I’ll grab your bags and put them in my vehicle.”
“You got a vehicle?”
“I borrowed one for today.”
She nodded and pointed through the living room to a doorway. “In my bedroom. I have one large and one small bag on my bed.”
He nodded and walked to the room she directed him to. Stepping inside her private space took him off guard. The air in the room smelled just like her—sweet and soft, with a hint of spice. He shook off the distraction, grabbed her bags and hauled them out to the vehicle he’d borrowed from Axel Grey.
Raphael hadn’t wanted to make her walk to the Big Bang Truck Stop. He thought of the casual way Axel offered up the SUV when he learned they were taking the same shuttle from Earth to Ichor-Delta for the wedding. Every one of the Grey brothers was consistently a better friend to him than his own family. He envied their close relationship.
Francine exited her home, locked the door and met him at the back hatch as he finished loading up her bags. Once he shut the hatch, she moved close, lifting her face to his with a mischievous grin.
“We should share a kiss for luck before heading on our way, don’t you think?”
Raphael responded by pressing his lips to hers gently. He knew she didn’t want a quick kiss for luck. She wanted a full-blown,we are engaged, and we want everyone to know itkiss. He obliged gleefully.
When she pulled away, he asked, “Was that for your neighbors?”
“Sure. Okay,” she said. Her impish expression made him smile. She walked to the passenger door and he followed to be a gentleman, opening her door.
They arrived at the Big Bang Truck Stop right on time to greet Axel and Lucy before boarding. They sat apart on the flight, but planned to sit together at the reception after the wedding. Lucy agreed they should keep a low profile at the ceremony and not go out of their way to let their parents see them until they joined the receiving line at the reception.
Before long, they were buckled into the commercial spaceship headed for Ichor-Delta and on their way to a ten-day galaxy trip with nothing stopping them. Francine told him repeatedly how elated she was to be heading to this special wedding for one of her favorite sisters. She thanked him profusely for the privilege.
Raphael hoped she didn’t regret it.
He had set this in motion, unsure of what he’d discover when he arrived. He’d reserved expensive lodging for them near the wedding venue and contacted a lifelong confidant about securing not only the precious invitation to the wedding, but also information regarding any pushback he might get as a result of this bold action. Unfortunately, the invitation for Prudence’s wedding and reception had arrived without any note attached.
He’d have to wait to receive any further information once they landed on Ichor-Delta.
They’d spend a couple of days getting properly outfitted before attending the wedding. A fancy coach would pick him and Francine up from the shuttle area on Ichor-Delta, while Axel and Lucy would have to follow whatever itinerary the sisters’ mother had organized.
