Page 43 of Supernova

“Tell me about what you do at NASA,” Jo says, looking Jeanie in the face. She’s assessing the younger woman without visibly looking her up and down, and what she sees is someone with the glow of youth about her. A hint of innocence that leaves her cheeks pink, and lends a glittery excitement to her eyes.

“I’m an engineer,” Jeanie says. She tucks her long, straight hair behind one ear, and Jo notices that she’s wearing a very simple, bias-cut orange dress that highlights her tan. Jeanie has a smattering of freckles across her cute nose, and she doesn’t appear to be wearing even a swipe of makeup, which is entirely disarming. For as cute as Jeanie Florence is, she’s entirely natural. Every bit of her wholesome attractiveness radiates from within. “I work with the team to assess the dangers of space travel, to plan the trajectory to the moon, and to implement new technologies.”

There is no way that this straightforward explanation is going to be anything but totally intimidating; Jo is standing before a woman who is her junior in years, but whose successes and achievements already far surpass hers.

“That’s amazing,” Jo says, and she means it. “Did you always know you wanted to be an engineer?”

From across the pool, Frankie shoots Jo a look, but she ignores it for the moment. Several of the kids have started a rousing game of tag in the grass, and the lights from inside the house are helping the torches to illuminate the yard. A sliver of moon looks down on the backyard party as several of the families say their goodbyes and leave through the side gate—this is a Sunday evening, after all.

“Always?” Jeanie asks. Her smile widens. “Well, I don’t think I always wanted to be an engineer, necessarily, but I did always want to go to space. Will that ever happen?” she asks wistfully, “That, I don’t know.”

Jo is already fascinated—and charmed—by Jeanie. She’s so unassuming. And sweet. “An astronette!” Jo says with interest.

“I love that.” Jeanie laughs and lays a hand on Jo’s bare arm. “If—no,when—I make it to space, I will insist on being called Astronette Florence.”

The women are still giggling over this when Bill returns with a fresh drink for himself and one for Jo. “What did I miss?” he asks, given a slightly nervous look between at the women.

“Oh, nothing,” the say in unison.

“Hey.” Jo turns to Jeanie. “We’d love to have you over for dinner some evening. Do you think that would work for you and your…” Jo trails off, hoping that Jeanie will fill in the blank for her. When she doesn’t, Jo finishes. “Your husband? Boyfriend?”

Jeanie shakes her head with an easy smile. “I’m single. I have a roommate and a cat.” She laughs easily. “And I don’t think you’d want me to bring either of them. Vicki always sits in strange places, and Miranda has no manners around new people.”

“Which one is the cat?” Bill asks with one hand in the pocket of his pants as he sips his martini.

“Miranda,” Jeanie says. “Vicki moved in right after Christmas and she’s a lovely woman, but we don’t have a lot in common. She’s a friend of my aunt’s.”

“Ah,” Jo says with a nod. She’s imagining a much older woman who perhaps likes to sit on the floor to watch the television. Maybe the poor old dear has bad eyes. “Well, you’re invited, and if you need to bring Vicki along so that she can get out and mingle, then she’s invited too.”

“That’s so kind of you,” Jeanie says. She tilts her head to the side as she looks at Jo. “I would love to come over and meet your children. Bill talks about all of you so fondly.”

Bill’s head turns to Jeanie and he looks surprised. “Yes,” he says as he swallows a sip of his martini. “We’d love to have you. Definitely.”

“Great,” Jo says. “Then it’s settled. I’ll find a few dates and give them to Bill, and you can let us know what works for you. This is so exciting.” She looks back and forth between her husband and Jeanie, and for a beat, Jo can sense a frisson of…something. She can’t even put her finger on it, but she feels that the moment is right for her to make her escape. “If you’ll excuse me, I want to go and congratulate the woman of the hour, and I’m sure you two have important work things to discuss.” Jo touches Jeanie lightly on the shoulder as she passes by her, and shoots one last look at Bill, who is suddenly light years more mysterious to her than he’d been just five minutes ago. Who is Bill Booker when he isn’t with her? Is he someone entirely different? Does he really talk about her and the children at work? She has so many questions, and as she sidles up to Frankie and waits for her to finish talking to Ophelia and her mother, she glances surreptitiously at Bill, who is gazing down at Jeanie as they talk.

“Ow!” Frankie says when Jo grabs her elbow urgently. Ophelia and her mother have just said goodbye and are leavingthe backyard along with several other guests. “What was that for?”

“That’s her,” Jo hisses, tipping her head almost imperceptibly in Bill’s direction. “Jeanette. But she goes by Jeanie.”

Frankie exhales and casually glances around the pool area; she’s got the tactic of casting an unobtrusive glance at a person of interest down pat, as so many women do. “Orange dress? Shiny hair? Cute face?”

Jo gives a curt nod as she looks into her martini glass. “Is he still smiling at her like a teenage boy talking to the prom queen?”

“Ummmm,” Frankie says in a diplomatic tone, “more like he’s smiling at the cute younger sister of his best friend.”

“That’s not helping,” Jo says with a frown.

“Okay, you’re right.” Frankie smiles and waves at Carrie and Jay as they leave with their son and daughter. “I think it’s good we’ve seen her, and it’s better that we didn’t do it by sneaking into NASA.”

“Right,” Jo says dryly. “Now we don’t have to put on janitor disguises and mop the hallways to get a glimpse of her.”

“Would I be Lucy or Ethel in this scenario?”

Jo whacks Frankie’s arm lightly. “I’m serious. This is me at my worst, and you’re seeing it.”

“You know,” Frankie says, shaking her head. “I never pictured Josephine Booker as the jealous type.”

“Have you ever had any women friends?” Jo asks her with an intentional smirk. “Our jealous streak can be activated by the most innocuous things.”

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