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“Not many people wear a watch these days. All we have to do is ask the computer for the time or check our wrist comm.”
“I don’t wear it because it’s practical. Watches are beautiful,” Elias said. “I collect them and repair them. I must have over fifty.”
“Wow! Fifty watches. I expect some are collectors’ pieces. You could make a lot of money if you sold them.”
“It’s not about the money. I just like fixing things.”
“Which must be handy, given the work you do.”
“You know where I work?” Elias felt pleased Hayley knew he was an engineer.
Her cheeks flushed, and she nodded. “You’re based in the docking bay. You always seem so busy.”
“We are. There are always ships arriving with problems. I like it, though. I like to be kept busy. It stops me over thinking.”
“What do you over think about?”
Elias’s mind drifted to the Retar investigation. “The usual things. What to have for dinner, what to wear.”
Hayley laughed. “Sure you do. Just like everyone else on here, you get a set of jumpsuits and that’s about it.”
“You make the jumpsuits look good.”
“You don’t do too badly in yours either.” She grinned at him.
Elias linked their fingers together. He could get used to holding Hayley’s hand. It was a sweet gesture and one not commonly used on his home planet, but it felt comforting and mildly arousing to feel her hand tucked into his.
“What occupies your thoughts when you’re not working?” Elias asked.
“Oh, as you said, what to eat and what to wear.”
The tightness in Hayley’s eyes told him she wasn’t being honest. “What about your family on Earth? Are you hoping to bring them up here?”
She looked away and shook her head. “Not for a while. Maybe never.”
“They don’t like the stars?”
“They love them.” Hayley pressed her lips together.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand.”
“It’s not that; it’s complicated. Being up here makes me sad. I’d planned this great space adventure with my sister, but it never happened.”
“She decided she didn’t want to travel in space? It’s not for everyone. Some people never get used to the stomach churning effects of changes in gravity.”
“Sally would be fine. We went in several simulators and loved it. More than me. She’s always been so fearless and full of life.”
“She still decided not to come with you?”
Hayley ducked her head. “I’ve not told anyone this, but she’s ill. That’s why she can’t come.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. It’s something serious?”
“We think it was caused by polluted water. There’s been trouble with getting a clean supply in certain areas. It’s the only thing we can think of as to why she got sick. We were careful with everything else. At first, we thought it was a flu type virus. She was in bed for a week but never got better.”
Elias hated hearing the worry in Hayley’s voice. “There is a treatment?”
“There is, but it’s expensive. We’re not a wealthy family, and it’s just the two of us. I’m helping her as much as I can.” Hayley pressed her lips together again as if forcing herself to stop speaking.
