“Thank you, Jade. I appreciate that. I do worry a little bit about Jake being human, but I really do like him.” She sighed. “Every day I like him more.”
“I can sure see why.”
“I know,” Beryl said. “The first time I saw him, it was like, wow. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. And you know that spark of attraction people talk about?”
“You felt it with him?”
“Literally,” Beryl said. “My arm brushed against his and this sizzle went over my skin.”
“Yikes. Sounds painful.”
Beryl laughed. “It so was not. Pretty close to the opposite, I think. And it wasn’t a one-time thing, either.”
“Intriguing.”
“I’ll say,” Beryl said. “Anyway, I’d better let you go. Morning comes early at the Supernova Supermarket.”
“One more thing,” Jade said quickly. “We need to meet up and have another girls-only spa day soon. My nails are looking rough. I mean, it’s like I work in a mine or something.” She giggled. “Oh, yeah—I do work in a mine. Maybe that’s the problem.”
“For pity’s sake, Jade. It’s not like you carry a pickaxe over one shoulder and chisel out chunks of bauxite every day as a part of your duties. You’re the accountant.”
“Accounting can be dangerous. You know, the occasional stinging papercut and the ink stains one gets logging supplies in a ledger by hand are treacherous.” She giggled again. Jade worked with electronic accounting and probably didn’t even carry a pen or a pencil. Still, Beryl loved her little sister and her sense of humor.
“Oh, right—I forgot about the papercuts and ink stains that darken your work life while you wield an electronic tablet to labor at your job. However, you can twist my arm and I’ll join you for a girls-only spa day soon. Text me in a few days, when my life settles down a bit.” She’d glanced at the clock and yawned.
Jade said, “No. I’ll set it up for the day after tomorrow, after work. If I wait until your life settles down, we’ll never go.”
“Good answer. Love you, Jade.”
“Love you, too, Beryl. Night.”
Beryl went to bed feeling more hopeful about her life than she had in a long while.
Moving to Earth had not been in her life plan—until the debacle of the wedding that didn’t happen. Beryl had spent several days wondering what she should do next. She couldn’t eat. She couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t function.
The extensive plans she’d made for her life after the wedding had dissolved like sugar in boiling water. She’d never have gotten through those dark days without her little sister, who’d pointed her in the direction of moving off-planet for an adventure with the family.
Contemplating a new path had been the key factor in pulling her out of her melancholy.
A new plan. A new place. A new chance.
Long before her wedding, her family had been planning to move to Earth when her parents retired. She would have been the only Ashcraft staying behind on Alpha-Prime. The disaster at the altar put an end to that.
Once she’d been incorporated into the family plan to give up everything they knew on Alpha-Prime and move to Earth, Beryl wondered how she hadn’t made that choice in the first place.
Meeting Jake further validated her decision.
Because of him, a path filled with possibilities was in her future. She felt lighter than air. She was happy.
And she wasn’t going to let anyone or anything intrude on that happiness.
A good night’s sleep ensured that Beryl started her day feeling just as light as when her head had hit the pillow. She got out of bed with joy in her heart as she made her way through her morning routine before setting off to work.
Tonight, she’d be seeing Jake again.
The thought buoyed her through her drive to the Supernova Supermarket.
