Page 49 of The Infinite Light of Dust

“If you want to make it on time to work, I wouldn’t do that,” he warned, pulling away from the kiss.

I blinked, mesmerized by the seductive tone of his threat. I couldn’t afford to be late today—Stewart was coming in for her last treatment before her big move to Hawaii with her wife.

“Rain check?” I asked, sucking at the inside corner of his full lips.

“Always.” He pulled away, kissing my cheek, my chin, my forehead, then lifted my hand and kissed each finger.

“I’ll be here when you get back. Now go eat and down some caffeine, baby.” He swatted my ass as I skipped away, high off the adrenaline rush he gave me and from hearing him call me baby.

I went into the kitchen and got the food out of the oven. Grabbing a spoon, I dug into the dish. It smelled familiar, but I hadn’t had it at Dory’s. From the pan it was in, though, I could tell it’d come from her. It tasted like the best version of a cinnamon roll mixed with bread pudding, and had big salty chunks of pecans throughout. It was so, so good. I grabbed a cup of coffee and felt creative when I dunked the bread into the coffee. Oh my god, was it delicious.

An eye on the clock told me I had about three minutes until I needed to splash water on my face and brush my teeth. My hair was in a braid that was coming loose, but it would make it through my shift. Kael making it possible for me to have my own porch swing made me so energized, so excited for the day. I wished all days started off so well.

I brushed my teeth and rinsed my face, putting a thin layer of moisturizer then sunscreen on, and was done with my routine for the morning and went to my room to put on my work clothes. I opted for a pale-purple work set, even though I usually wore black. Saying goodbye to Kael on the porch felt like we were playing house again. He was here more than he wasn’t lately, and I kept coming back to the fact that I found myself depending on him more with each thoughtful gesture, each action that made my day a bit better, a bit easier.

When I got to work, my mood was much better than the day before. I had a smile on my face and a little pep in my step. I was a bit worried yesterday that I was getting sick or something, but I’d just needed a break, mentally and physically. And sleep and warm food.

“You’re better today.” Mali echoed my thoughts as she pulled one side of the curtain to my workroom open.

I nodded, lighting my candles. Since it was fall, I was using both vanilla pumpkin and cozy fireside scents. The sweetness of the one and the earthiness of the other blended together perfectly.

“Good. I don’t want to worry about you too. You’re the stable one here.” She smiled at me while running her index finger over my counter to make sure it was clean. Of course, it was.

I laughed, knowing that there weren’t any clients there yet. “I’m the stable one? We’re all screwed then.”

“We’re all screwed anyway. Taxes are up, wages are down, the economy is shit. People can barely feed a family of four anymore.” She used my small mirror on the counter to mess with her eyelashes. “Enough small talk, are you two going to keep calling out of work? My husband is taking me on a cruise in two weeks and I need someone to stand in as the manager while I’m gone.”

Ah, so the vacation fever has set in, that was why she was more dressed up and cheery than usual. A vacation . . . I couldn’t wait for the day when I could take a vacation that I paid for myself. Maybe Mexico or Barcelona? That day was a long way away, but a girl could dream.

“Are you asking me?” I brought myself out of the daydream of a beach chair, a book, and no responsibilities for a solid week.

“Yes. And if you don’t burn down or remodel the place while I’m gone, maybe you can take over some of my workload. As a manager.”

I couldn’t hide my surprise. “Really?” I nearly shrieked. I went to hug her but she backed away, swatting at me in true Mali fashion.

“Don’t get too excited. Nothing is happening until I see what you do while I’m gone, but I can’t work forever.”

I poked a finger toward her cheek but knew better than to touch it. “And you trust me,” I teased her in a singsong voice.

She shook her head. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything!” She wagged her hand in annoyance as she left my workroom.

I was smiling ear to ear. A manager? That would mean more hours, a raise, even if it wasn’t much, and more control over the spa and the chance to make it better and busier than it was now. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but who was I kidding? Of course, I grabbed my phone and texted Kael, telling him that I might be getting a promotion. My heart was beating fast as I moved around my room, waiting for my client to come. Stewart was right on time, and she hugged me as soon as she saw me.

“I can’t believe this is my last time seeing you,” I told her as we pulled away from the embrace.

“I’m going to miss you and our chats here. You know more about me than my therapist does.” She smiled, her unique green eyes shining with kindness.

I led her back to my space and gave her time to get situated on the table. I thought back to the first time I ever had her as a client and how we’d immediately clicked even though I’d been having the worst day ever. I had just started working here and I’d been late—my brother had gotten in trouble at our uncle’s and my dad wouldn’t stop calling me to complain. I’d been worried sick for Austin and of course, he hadn’t answered my calls. Stewart had been so empathetic; she could immediately tell that I was off, but that I wouldn’t want to say so or let it affect my job.

So I’d held my own problems in, suffering in silence, as usual. She’d confided in me about her life, not all at once, but in a slow and intimate conversation that had distracted me from my crappy day. She’d been so generous emotionally and we’d had a great session. Stewart had booked her next appointment on the spot, given me a huge tip, and made me feel so much less anxiety over whether I would make a good therapist or not. Over the last year we’d bonded, and though I’d kept it as professional as I could, I considered her to be someone I truly cared about. I was so happy for her and her wife and their new life in Hawaii, but I would miss her.

After her treatment, she gave me another hug and another too-high tip, but refused to take it back when I refused it. I wished her well and off she went. The provisional lifespan of military friendships and relationships was not something I would ever get used to. I never planned on entangling myself with the enlisted or their families, but plans were just that, and I’d clearly failed. I could not be more entangled than I was.

My shift continued to go well and by the time I finally looked at the clock, it was time for me to go. I tidied up my space and put a load of towels in the washer to make Elodie’s shift a bit easier for her. I wrote a little note for her and left it on her cabinet with a small candle from my room that she had complimented a few days ago. She walked in the back door as I was leaving, but she either didn’t see me or was ignoring me. Since she had no reason to ignore me, I brushed it off and went on my way, eager to get home, hoping Kael was there waiting for me.

He was still outside working on the deck. A tremendous amount of work had been done in a short time. I looked for Austin, assuming he had been helping, but only Kael was there, on his knees, hammering one piece of wood to another to cover my concrete steps.

“Did you see Elodie?” I asked as I approached him.

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