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The doctor released a plume of smoke. "We are not in a rush. We are happy the way we are."
Robert nodded. "These weddings are more for our community than they are for us. Everyone loves weddings."
"Yeah." Ed lifted his drink. "I love being stuffed into a tuxedo and feeling like a penguin."
Charlie punched him in the shoulder playfully. "Yeah, yeah. I saw you tearing up at Brundar and Callie's wedding."
"I had something in my eye," Ed protested.
As laughter intermingled with banter, the cigars emitted fragrant smoke, and the whiskey flowed.
Puffing on his cigar, Robert regarded his companions with fondness and appreciation. He was blessed, not only with a wonderful mate who got him and accepted him the way he was, warts and all, but with good friends who accepted him as well.
63
MARGO
As Margo and Negal strolled through the mall, they ended up back in front of the exclusive boutique and the stunning evening dress in the window that Margo had been pining for since the moment she'd laid eyes on it but knew that she couldn't afford.
The deep emerald fabric shimmered under the boutique's strategically positioned lighting, and she just knew that it would look perfect on her.
"Shall we?" Negal gestured towards the entrance, a soft smile playing on his lips. "You seem to really like this dress, and you should try it on."
"It's beautiful." She let out a breath.
Perhaps she could splurge this one time on something spectacular. After all, she would attend those weddings with a spectacular male by her side, so a killer dress was a must.
"Excuses, excuses," she murmured under her breath.
Negal glanced at her with a frown. "Excuses?"
"Yeah. I'm trying to talk myself into splurging on a dress that I shouldn't," she said quietly so the enthusiastic sales lady with the barracuda smile wouldn't hear her. "I'm giving myself a bunch of excuses for why it's okay to go into debt for a dress."
"I'm paying for it, and I don't want to hear any arguments about it." He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I have a large allowance to spend however I please, and I can't keep what I don't spend. I assure you, the intergalactic fleet that provides this allowance will not be impoverished by the cost of this dress."
"It's still not right," she whispered back.
"Yes, it is."
She turned to look at him. "How will you justify the expense to your commanders? I'm sure you need to provide a list of the things you spend your allowance on."
"No, I don't. It would be impractical to keep track of every expense made over hundreds of years."
Margo swallowed. He was talking about centuries the same way she talked about weeks or months.
Would her perspective of time change once she became immortal? Probably not right away. She was willing to bet that Frankie and Mia were still thinking in human time frames. It would take time to adjust.
"May I help you?" asked the barracuda lady with too many teeth in her mouth in heavily accented English.
"Yes," Negal said. "We would like to try this dress on." He pointed at the display.
"That's an excellent choice." She looked Margo over. "We only have it in two sizes, but I believe that the one in the display will fit your wife perfectly."
He grinned. "I believe so, too."
"It's a beautiful dress." The sales lady reached for the dress and removed it from the mannequin. "Let me show you to a dressing room."
As they followed her, Margo wondered if Negal knew that he couldn't come in with her.
