AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Have a lovely evening,” she told them, heading for the door.
“Thank you,” Olivia called after her.
“Smells delicious,” Stark grumbled, clearly in lieu of an apology.
“Thank you, Mr. Rawling,” Nina said with a smile.
Olivia figured Nina had probably seen it all when it came to nervous clients. Maybe that was why she didn’t seem to be easily offended.
“What is this?” Stark asked, looking at his plate.
“It’s the favorite food of almost every Terran child,” Olivia told him. “We call it spaghetti and meatballs. It’s flour noodles in a tomato sauce with spices and spheres of ground meat with breadcrumbs and more spices.”
She’d never had to explain the simple meal before, and it reminded her that they really did come from different backgrounds.
“Excellent,” Stark said. “I’ll pour the wine.”
She breathed a sigh of relief to see that he was in a better mood now that it was just the two of them.
“This is Maltaffian wine,” he told her. “The fruits can only be grown here.”
“I’ve heard of that,” she said, trying to remember why.
“Probably because it’s so good that they say it’s an aphrodisiac,” Stark chuckled.
“You’re completely right,” she said, laughing a little. “I have heard that. Is it true?”
“I have no idea,” he told her. “But I imagine it’s just a marketing gimmick.”
She nodded and took the glass when he handed it to her.
“Mind if I make a toast?” he asked.
“Go ahead,” she said, curious as to how he would begin this meal.
“To new beginnings,” he said, his voice a little softer. “And to the family each of us is here to build.”
She swallowed over a lump in her throat, suddenly feeling very emotional.
“I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject,” he said gently. “Do you have someone at home waiting, hoping you’ll be able to conceive after this?”
She shook her head, keeping her lips pressed together.
“Neither do I,” he admitted. “At least we’ll have no one to let down but ourselves if this doesn’t work out.”
She looked up at him and he winked at her.
Suddenly, for no reason she could think of, she was giggling.
“What?” he asked. “You don’t think there would be a hundred times more pressure if you had a boyfriend at home feeling jealous and thinking to himselfthis better work?”
“I honestly never thought of it,” she said. “Besides,that’s not how it works on Terra-58. At least it’s not supposed to work that way.”
“I heard,” he said. “But I never believed it. Who would want to wait all that time to start dating? And isn’t it hard to date when you have a baby?”
“It’s just how it’s done,” she said, having never once thought about any of what he’d just said. “Everyone who dates has a baby. It’s a good way to judge whether a man will be patient and responsible with children.”
“Youbringthe baby on the dates?” Stark asked.
