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Sally kissed the tips of her fingers before splaying her hand. “They’re perfection. Your chocolates are the best I’ve tasted, and I taste a lot of excellent food. Still, isn’t there any other option? Money from a Dackin is a gamble. One sniff that you’re vulnerable, and you’ll be in trouble.”

“I was careful before signing anything,” Holly said. “The money lender knows the risk I am. He’ll have run a credit check. If he doesn’t think I’m good for the repayments, I’ll be declined the money.”

Sally’s nose wrinkled. “You don’t want to be in debt to a Dackin.”

Dackins were the bankers of the star system. If you treated them well and paid back the money when you should, they were no problem. But Holly knew, if you missed a repayment, they came after you like a shark who’d scented blood in the water.

“I have fourteen days to make my first repayment,” Holly said. “I have most of my equipment. All I need are the ingredients and a couple of bits of kit and I can get to work straight away. There’s a huge intergalactic food fair I’ve booked a stand at. I’ll be showcasing and selling my treats there.”

Sally nodded slowly. “That sounds good. Before you jump in and splurge, do some taste tests before you win the galaxy over with your chocolate.”

Holly grinned. “I’m way ahead of you. I’m doing trial runs on Prodigy to iron out any taste issues. I’ll easily make my first repayment from the sales at the food fair. After that, once people know about my chocolates, I’ll get extra orders and keep making money.”

Sally raised an eyebrow. “I’d loan you the money myself, but everything is tied up in the refurbishment.” She’d been renovating an old ship and had plans to go traveling with her partner and set up a chain of Earth-themed diners in a couple of years.

Holly shook her head. “It’s lovely of you to think that, but I have to do this for myself. I know I can do this.”

Sally patted her arm. “I’m sure you can. Just as I’m certain you will salvage these overcooked buns.” She pointed to the tray cooling on the counter.

“I’ll get straight on it.”

Holly worked for the next half an hour, filling lunch orders from the dining hall and trying not to think about the loan. She’d applied three days ago, and today was the deadline for the decision.

By four o’clock, the dining hall was quiet, and Holly’s shift ended. She removed the apron from her navy blue jumpsuit and hung it in the store room. She slid the hat off her head and shook out her hair before running her fingers through it. There was little she could do to revive it after a day stuck under a hat in the hot kitchen. Frizzy and squashed was an okay look as far as she was concerned. Who needed great hair when you made insanely delicious treats?

Holly jumped as her wrist comm buzzed. Her breath caught in her throat. It was from the Dackin lending agency.

Her finger trembled as she hovered it over the wrist comm. What if it was a no? What if her dream was about to shatter?

“Put your big girl pants on. You can do this. You deserve this money,” she whispered to herself.

Holly opened the message.

Holly Lipinski. Your loan has been approved. The money will be in your account within the next two hours.

She squealed and bounced up and down. “I did it!”

Holly looked around, but there was no one to celebrate with. She let out a relieved sigh and wrapped her arms around herself before checking the message again. She had the money. She had what she needed to make her business a reality.

Holly bounced on her toes, a huge grin on her face. She had to celebrate.

She ducked her head into the kitchen but couldn’t see Sally, and everyone else was busy preparing for the upcoming evening rush.

That didn’t deter her enthusiasm. There was one place that always welcomed her. She slipped out of the kitchen and headed to the Enchanted Captain.

Holly wasn’t a big drinker and didn’t like the taste of alcohol, but tonight she’d make an exception. She’d treat herself to something sweet and pink with a big paper umbrella in it.

She stopped by her quarters, grabbed two boxes of chocolate samples she’d been working on, and headed to the bar. This would be the first taste test of her new creations. She could hand them around to customers and see what they thought.

Holly couldn’t help but keep smiling as she walked into the Enchanted Captain and headed to the circular bar.

She nodded a greeting to the bartender, Olid. He was a friendly Koob, and she’d gotten to know him over the last few months.

Her friend, Sinead Murphy, used to come here every night before she’d gotten together with her new mate, Talyn. Holly had spent time with Sinead helping her realize she was head over heels in love with the intense, devoted Lillip who had accidentally signed Sinead up to be his life mate.

After several battles, a near miss of epic proportions, and a lot of soul searching, Sinead gave up her party life and embraced her role as Talyn’s life mate and freelance matchmaker for My Single Alien.

Sinead had been gone for several months, and Holly missed her, but she got regular updates about her adventures in the stars. It sounded so exciting.