Page 35 of Double Take

“Excellent! Good choice,” she said. It was one of their most expensive pieces.

He gestured to the pottery wheel by the window. “Are you the pottery maker?”

“No, I’m the business manager. My friend Faith is the potter. She signs all her pieces—see?” She turned the carafe over to show him the signature.

He barely glanced at it. His attention focused on her. A warm glint in his eyes seemed to indicate he liked what he saw. Amity resisted the urge to pat her hair. She wished she’d worn a prettier outfit than her comfy, faded-black slacks with a long white tunic.

“I’ll…uh…wrap this up for you.” Conscious of his scrutiny, she seemed to be all thumbs as she packed the carafe in protective paper and bagged it.

“Here you go.” She passed him the sack, noting he had strong, masculine hands, long fingers. She was a sucker for manly hands. She also noted the absence of a wedding ring, but some men didn’t wear them. “You’re not from around here. Do you live in another village, or are you visiting Terra Nova for the first time?” The planet did have a small but growing tourist trade of rich elites who could afford to vacation on another planet. However, he didn’t have that snooty look about him.

“How did you know I’m not from around here?”

“Small town. I’ve only been on Terra Nova and in Willow Wood a few months, but I think I’ve met or seen everybody who lives in the village.”

“Good deduction! I am just visiting your planet. What brought you here?”

“I came with my friend. After her husband died, she needed to make a life change. I couldn’t let her move to another planet alone.” Neither of them had close family anymore, and she had no ties to Earth. She never imagined she’d still be single at forty-two.

“You two must be very close.”

“She’s my best friend, my sister from another mister.”

“Must be nice to have a friend that close.” The big, strong—she assumed he was strong; he certainly looked it—man sounded wistful, and the glimpse of vulnerability tugged at her heart.

“Everybody needs somebody in their corner.”

“How do you like it on Terra Nova? Must be different from Earth.”

She laughed. “Like night and day. It was a bit of a shocker at first.” She still missed the vibrancy, energy, and technology. Like the obsolete tech-tab that had kept cutting out. That wouldn’t have happened on Earth. However, she didn’t regret coming. Not most of the time, anyway. “I’m a city girl at heart. Here, the whole planet is rural—except for the villages. And they’re tiny. About the only similarity between Terra Nova and Earth is that the denizens are humans. I’ve only met a few aliens passing through Willow Wood.” She recalled the Nagarian.

“Like your date?” he asked with a sheepish expression. “I’m sorry—I overheard your half of the conversation.”

“Yes.” Encountering the snake-man had been like her worst nightmare.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a Nagarian,” he said.

“You’d know if you had,” she said.

He laughed. “I suppose so. And you met him through Cosmic Mates. Isn’t that the interplanetary matchmaking service?”

Was that a glint of interest in his eyes? Her heart raced. Wouldn’t it be ironic if, after joining Cosmic Mates, she then met the love of her life by happenstance?Don’t get carried away.

The odds of finding her Mr. Right and getting married dwindled with every passing day. Joining Cosmic Mates had seemed like an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone—find mates for herself and her best friend. Normally, she was not so impetuous, but passing forty still unmarried had upped the urgency. “I wasn’t meeting anybody here or on Earth. Nobody single, I mean.”

He smiled. “Well, now you have.”

Did that mean what it sounded like?

“Would you care to have dinner with me tonight?” he asked.

Her stomach fluttered with excitement, but she kept her voice calm and level. “I would like that.”

“You’ll have to suggest a restaurant. The only one I’ve seen is the café across the street.”

“There’s a nice little bistro with good food and live music. It’s walkable from here.” Everything in the tiny town was walkable.

“Pick you up here at 7 p.m.?”

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