“Wouldn’t you agree?” Rosie asks. Tearing myself out of my daydream, I realize I have lost the thread of our conversation. Shit.
Shaking my head free of these distracting thoughts, I apologize and ask her to repeat the question.
“I reviewed the backgrounds of our bride volunteers to see if any of them might have work experience or education that would qualify them for any of these roles. I found several who might work, so I will message them as soon as we finish up here. Then I plan to email the whole list of openings to every woman on board the ship. We should prioritize these jobs by need and by how easy it will be to train someone quickly. What do you think?”
“That sounds perfect. What can I do to help?”
“I can handle this project. That way, you can focus on setting up the Presenting Ceremony. I’d rather you have to deal with the bridezillas than me,” Rosie says with a chuckle. I snort my agreement about bridezillas. There is something about a wedding which can bring out the worst in even the most even-tempered woman. I had a soft-spoken, meek cousin who turned into a screeching psycho when her sister wore a hot-pink dress that didn’t fit in with her Magical Forest-themed wedding. It took years before they could even be in the same room together.
“Rosie, are you staying here or heading out with the forces? I mean, technically there will be bride volunteers in both locations,” I ask.
“The majority of human women are staying behind, so as the Bride Liaison, it made more sense for me to stay here.”
“So, will they have a human representative there with them? It’s been nice to have someone here whose job is to watch out for us humans. These aliens don’t always understand our needs, despite their best efforts,” I say with a smirk, remembering the time I told L’Corte that chocolate cured PMS. Even though I was teasing, he completely believed me. Not that I complained; I did appreciate the enormous box of premium Belgium chocolate that took me more than a month to finish. And that was with my roommates raiding my stash. It took L’Corte a while to figure out that I like to joke and tease. Sarcasm was like a foreign language to him – a language I am fluent in.
“I don’t know. Everything has been happening so quickly I didn’t think about it,” Rosie says with a pensive look. “That’s no excuse, though. I should have taken all the women’s needs into consideration, not just the ones who are staying behind. I will need to bring this to L’Forn’s attention immediately. Perhaps we can get one of the mated women to agree to be a representative for the others.”
“You should ask Maya. She’s got a good temperament which might be beneficial when it comes to juggling all the different personalities of the bride volunteers,” I suggest. Rosie nods her head while making a quick note of my suggestion. “You know what? The ships that are leaving might be short-staffed too. Since they are splitting forces, are they going to be undermanned? Do we need to enact the Rosie the Riveter plan there too?”
“Since the majority of Cerastean forces are leaving together, I believe they are fully staffed. It’s the ships remaining behind that will be running on a skeleton crew. However, there is no harm in mentioning it to the chancellor and see what he thinks. By the way, he loves this Rosie the Riveter plan of yours. The fact that the unmated women on board are stepping up to help means a lot to these guys,” Rosie says with a pleased grin.
“It’s our home, too.”
“I agree, but it still means so much to them. So, tell me about how the Presenting Ceremony is going.”
We start talking about my plans for the Presenting Ceremony. I mention wanting to make sure it’s a celebration everyone can enjoy before the Cerasteans ship out for war, which Rosie agrees will be nice even for the single unmated members of the crew. When I talk about how many women have gotten mated in just the last few days, Rosie gets a faraway look in her eyes.
A sudden thought pops into my head. “Rosie, are you dating any of the guys? Is there someone you’re going to be missing when they head out?”
“Oh no, that’s not for me. The Cerasteans are only interested in women who are ready to start a family. My baby-making days are behind me. They started the Bride Program to ensure the continuation of their species. The Cerasteans want women who can give them children.”
If Rosie is past her baby-making days, she looks fucking amazing. I need to find out what her skin regiment is. Her ebony skin glows with health, and she barely has any wrinkles. Just a few crow’s feet around her eyes that only come out when she smiles. Which is often.
“Puh-lease. I call bullshit. Not everyone wants children. I know lots of people who don’t want babies. I bet some Cerasteans feel the same way,” I scoff, enjoying the startled look in Rosie’s eyes. Let her chew on that for a bit.
We’re going over a few final details when a sharp knock on the door interrupts us. With an apology, Rosie rises from her desk to see who is there. Turning in my seat, I see one of the bride volunteers is at the door with a concerned look on her face.
“Oh, sorry, Rosie. I didn’t realize you were in the middle of something,” the woman apologizes.
“It’s okay. We’re done here, right, Rosie? I’m going to head out, and you can take care of this,” I offer.
“You sure?”
“Absolutely. If you think of anything else we need to take care of, message me,” I say, slipping past them both.
Heading back towards my dorm, I look to see if I have any new messages from D’Merx. I was hoping he’d have more information about the flowers I want. I should also check on Krystal and see how she is doing in the Maintenance Department. Perhaps D’Uhurn needs a nudge in the right direction, or a swift kick in his ass. I make a note on my tablet to also check on Laney and see if the tea helped her morning sickness. I’m glad I have so much to do. I need to keep myself busy, or I’m going to crawl out of my skin waiting for dinner with L’Corte.
As I pass the kitchen near my dorm, a hand reaches out and yanks me into the room. Screeching in shock, I gasp like a dying fish as all my friends gape at me. LikeI’mthe crazy one.
“You scared the shit out of me!” I screech. “You can’t just yank someone off the street. I thought you were kidnapping me!”
“Sorry! I thought you saw me. We’re just excited to talk to you,” Maya says, raising her hands as a shield against my annoyance. I can feel my frown drop from my face as Maya’s words register with me. Looking away from Maya’s remorseful face, I scan all my friends’ faces and see the glee and excitement building on their features.
I blow out a resigned breath when it occurs to me what this is all about.
I barely get the exhalation out before Laney is shrieking, “You kissed L’Corte!”
“Tell us everything!” Ally demands, dancing in place with excitement.
