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“He looks at you like you’re the only person in the world,” Jasmine said dreamily.
“He does?”She had been too preoccupied with announcements and reactions to notice, not that she wanted to stare at him with stars in her eyes and out them to everyone.Neither of them were ready for that.She had no idea what their relationship could even be called.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to keep this secret very long,” Rodelle said.“Pauline Atwater and one of the cyborgs in the big empty house on the west side are already sleeping together.AL14 or someone, I can’t remember his designation.”
“How the hell do you know that?”Hannah asked.
“Just because I’ve been wallowing in my own misery these last couple of years doesn’t mean I don’t hear things,” Rodelle replied.
“Grieving,” Jasmine corrected her.“You’ve been grieving.No one blames you for that.”
Rodelle didn’t argue with her.“Lorena lives a couple of houses down from Pauline.She told me.They aren’t being subtle about it.”
“Damn.Good for them,” said Jasmine appreciatively.To Hannah, she said, “Good for you two, too.”
“I don’t know what we are,” Hannah protested.
“You have lots of time to figure that out.”
Hannah steered the conversation away from Rhys.“The reaction to the news about interplanetary travel was well taken, wasn’t it?I only saw the usual suspects complaining about it.”
“It was mostly Ollie West, anyway,” Jasmine said.“The Barneses whined about it a little, but they shut up when you mentioned establishing a hospital.I think almost everyone’s on board who can be convinced that this is a good thing.”She took a deep swallow of wine.“This has gone off.”
“Yeah, we know,” Hannah replied.Rodelle nodded.
“Ugh.Maybe we can get some good booze once we’ve started trading.”She stood up and collected the bottle, pouring it down the sink.“Hannah, have you considered taking Rhys on a date or something?”
“Where would we go?”
“Like for a picnic or something.You could take him to the falls.How much of New Eden has any of the cyborgs seen since they arrived?They’ve done nothing but work.”
How much had Hannah seen of her own planet recently?Once upon a time, she’d loved whiling away the hours wandering around one of New Eden’s waterfalls.She recalled it with detachment, as if it had been an anecdote told to her offhand by an acquaintance instead of her lived memory.“That’s not a terrible idea,” she said slowly.
“Stop worrying about what other people might think about it, and do something together that isn’t about the power station or agri center.It isn’t normal to have dates in a barn,” Jasmine added.
“Both of us would prefer to be discreet,” Hannah protested.“We thought it could be a conflict of interest.”
“How the hell is that a conflict of interest?There’s hardly anyone on New Eden, in the grand scheme of things, and you’ve already said you don’t want to be a leader.You can live your life now.”Jasmine’s voice softened.“Things are going to get better for everyone, finally.You don’t have to skulk around your house in secret if you don’t want to.”
Hannah considered Jasmine’s words.“You’re right,” she said.
“Of course I am.”Jasmine opened a cabinet and picked out another bottle of wine.“More?”
“Oh, no, thank you.”Rodelle shuddered.
“I wish you’d said something about the bad bottle.”
“I don’t drink often enough to know how dandelion wine is supposed to taste.”
“Hannah?”Jasmine held out a bottle.
“What the hell.Why not?”
Jasmine smiled and opened the bottle, pouring it into their cups.“Don’t worry about what other people might think.All of this—” She waved her arm around.“All of this will work out.”
ChapterTen
With Jasmine’swords of encouragement in mind, Hannah set about packing a light supper for a picnic.A walk through the falls and food, she decided.That seemed like a good way to get through to a partially cybernetic heart.
