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“And if you can’t find anything you like, there’s always a wig.” I winked at her.
She stuck her tongue out at me but smiled. “Jerk.”
“Sisters can be jerks for sure.” I straightened up with another smile. “Just remember when you make decisions that you have to live with them. Maybe ask someone’s opinion next time. They can tell you possible problems you hadn’t thought of.”
Alexi squinted her eyes at me. “I asked people, thank you very much.”
“People besides the ones who told you to get that haircut in the first place.” It was a guess, but I knew I got it right when her nose crinkled. I shook my head and turned to Jordan. “Hang on Alexi. I gotta talk to Jordan for a minute.”
I pulled him into the kitchen. He had an amused look on his face. “You think you’re having trouble with that? If her rebellion is as mild as this, I think you’re safe.”
“Only if it stays this mild.” I sighed, making sure to keep my voice down. “What happens when she moves from haircuts to staying out late to hanging around with bad people? That won’t be mild, and I don’t want her to go through the same things I did.”
Jordan nodded. “I know. But she’s not you. Have faith in her. If she knows you trust her then she’s going to try and respect your wishes. She’s still going to mess up, but it may not be on such a scale as you. Okay? You need to relax a little. You did fine with her.”
“Yeah, but I’m not her mom. Is she really going to listen to me and respect me as a parental figure when I’m her sister? Do you have any idea how hard it is to be a mother and a sister at the same time?”
“No, but I think you are balancing it fine. If you start having troubles, then ask for help. Find someone who’s been there. Ask Mariah. Someone.”
His words made sense. I could always ask Mariah if I ran into trouble. “Okay. Okay. You’re right.”
“Of course.” He winked at me. “I’m always right.”
“Ugh, don’t make me gag.” I smiled and stuck my tongue out at him and then raised my voice so Alexi would hear. “You excited to go to Viridis?”
“Viridis?” Alexi popped up and hurried over to us, excitement on her face. “You’re going to Viridis tomorrow?”
She was so excited I couldn’t hide another smile. “Yes. I’m not sure for how long, though. It depends on what we find.”
“I don’t care.” She rubbed her hands together. “Can I go? Home, I mean, not Viridis. It’s close enough, isn’t it?”
Luna Abra was indeed close enough, being Viridis’ moon. I folded my arms and lifted an eyebrow. “Are you sure? Are you going to behave? I’ll have to spend most of the time on Viridis.”
“I’ll be good. Promise.” She grinned at me. “You leave me alone for days sometimes. I’m old enough to take care of myself.”
I gave her a hard look. “I do not leave you alone. I leave you at IPF headquarters where it’s safe and there’s always someone on duty to help you if you need it and someone to check on you. Our house on Luna Abra doesn’t afford that kind of safety.”
“Please? Julia, please let me go. I miss it. I miss home.”
There was no way I could fault her for that. I missed home too. I pressed my lips together. “Of course, you can come. That was my plan as soon as we got the okay to go. It would be great to stop by home for a little while.”
“Yes!” She jumped, pumping her fist into the air before racing down the hallway. “I need to go pack!”
Jordan chuckled at her enthusiasm. “She’s excited.”
“Aren’t you? Luna Abra is your home, too.”
“Yeah, but I thrive on travel. I love it. I can stand being away from home for a while.”
“Well, I need to make some arrangements before tomorrow.” I glanced down at my feet and caught sight of a hair on my shoulder. I carefully picked it off and let it drift to the floor. “And some sleep would be nice. Whose idea was it to meet so early tomorrow?”
He smirked. “Oh, how making the tough decisions are such a pain! You’re the boss, remember? Making these calls is your job now. And yes, you have to make the calls that make the most sense.”
“All right, stop with the lectures.” I gave his arm a light punch. “Get out of here. You have stuff to do too.”
“Okay, boss, whatever you say.” He gave me a light punch in return before opening the door. “Get some rest. You deserve it. I’ll see you in the morning, Jules.”
“See you tomorrow.” I closed the door behind him and rubbed my temples. I felt fatigued, and there were still things to do. It wasn’t late yet, but I had been awake for what seemed like forever. One of the drawbacks of interplanetary travel.
