Page 17 of Hot Zone

Mars

Later, when we got back to Samuel’s place, I spent most of the day working on the list for the insurance company. There’s nothing like having to make a detailed inventory of your life to make you realize it was time for some changes.

At almost thirty, it was time to move on from second-hand furniture, mismatched dishes, and posters as wall decor. Not counting show posters, of course—those were different.

Sometimes, the words that come out of a person’s mouth could surprise even them when they hear them. That’s what happened to me yesterday. When I told Steven and Samuel that pretty much everything that mattered to me was up at the shop, I realized I didn’t have a home. I had a place I worked and a place I slept. It was time to fix that.

When I woke up this morning, I lay in bed contemplating my current situation, and I decided to look at the fire as a nudge from the universe that it was time for some changes. When I checked my charts, they confirmed it. Today’s reading showed it was a good time for new beginnings, and I wasn’t surprised to get extra confirmation when I pulled the Sun card.

I put on my clothes—another pair of sweats I picked up at the store—and shook my head. Clothes shopping was definitely a priority. This body was not made to hang around in cheap sweats.

Just like the day before, I found Samuel sitting at the breakfast table with his tablet and those sexy little reading glasses. He smiled at me when I walked in.

“How did you sleep?” he asked.

“Pretty good, all things considered.”

“Coffee’s ready, and there’s food for you in the oven.”

“You know, you don’t have to cook breakfast for me,” I said, walking over to the coffee pot and pouring myself a cup.

“I know I don’t have to, but it’s no trouble. I have to make breakfast for myself, so I just doubled it.”

“You cook breakfast for yourself every day?”

“Of course. How else would I eat?”

“Umm, drive-thru? Or you could be like me and skip breakfast most days.”

“Absolutely not. Your body needs fuel for the day ahead.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. And as long as you’re staying at my house, you’ll have breakfast every day.”

I snapped to attention and gave him a mock salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

I sat down at the table, where a scrambled egg, sausage, and cheese mixture, along with a couple of tortillas, awaited me.

“Oh! Breakfast burritos. They’re my favorite.”

“I thought you said you skipped breakfast most days.”

“Most days, sure. But some days, I drive through Santana’s and pick up a breakfast burrito.”

“Well, I hope my breakfast burrito hits the spot.”

I smiled as I added honey and cream to my coffee. “I’m confident it’ll be just as good, if not better.”

Samuel lowered his tablet and looked at me over the top of his glasses. “If you have any suggestions, let me know.”

As he picked his tablet back up, curiosity got the better of me.

“So, what are you doing on the tablet? I noticed you were using it yesterday, too.”

“Well, first I read the newspaper, and then I do the crossword puzzle.”

“The Vesper Gazette crossword puzzle or the real crossword puzzle?”

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