The spaceship landed with a thud and Bev’s heart thudded with it. They were back on Earth. Their journey was over. But not completely. After seeing the earth, so innocent and small, all of her problems seemed minuscule by comparison. She didn’t feel she had the right to complain about a broken high heel or having to eat spaghetti again for dinner when she’d rather have steak.
Bev unbuckled her harness and Charles held out a hand to help her stand. She wasn’t sure why he thought she needed the help, until she tried and her legs wobbled under her. She took his gloved hand in hers, grateful for the support. It wasn’t until they walked down the steps from the spaceship that she let g
Charles arrived early at the celebratory lunch. They were meeting in a large conference room that had been decorated with glittering stars that hung from the ceiling. The black tablecloth also glittered, as though millions of stars were sprinkled all over it, but he couldn’t enjoy it when all he felt was regret. Charles had watched Bev walk away, and he had done nothing to stop her. But how could he have? Everything he had said, she’d turned it on its head and made him into the bad guy.When he had said her homelessness didn’t matter to him, he hadn’t meant that her experiences weren’t important. He had only meant that he didn’t care if she was a billionaire, or a kindergarten teacher. Or even homeless. It was the money that didn’t matter to him. But he was never able to explain himself. Bev had been so angry, he
Bev stretched out in bed, her toes dangling over the edge. Katie had encouraged her to take a long weekend, and it was the best thing Bev could have done. Of course, that didn’t stop her mind from drifting to Charles, or keep her from constantly looking at the picture that Katie had given her. The one where she was floating in zero gravity, the earth behind her…while she kissed Charles. It was a picture-perfect moment, and one that she kept coming back to.Bev kept asking herself if she had overreacted. Maybe. She would never know, though. She had texted Charles several times over the previous few days. Even if nothing else happened between them, she wanted the chance to apologize. She felt bad about how she had left things, and the things she had said to him.But he’
Zoe walked down the sidewalk, arm in arm with her best friend, Ruby. The sun had set an hour earlier and all they were left with was the light from the street lamps, splashing across the road. Summer was her favorite time of year, despite the monsoon rains that would leave as quickly as they arrived, and despite the mosquitoes the rain invariably brought with it. And right then, she loved the scents of the desert mingled with campfire smoke that surrounded them as they walked down Main Street toward the town park.“Too bad Parker couldn’t be here for the star party,” Zoe said, turning the corner by the bike shop. A small path led to the large park that was tucked away behind the buildings, w
Katie stared at the two black trash bags sitting in front of her apartment door. Her heart sank. Not again. She’d been evicted before, but not in the middle of a Colorado winter. Even without paying her gas bill she had been warmer than what the streets could offer her. With a resolute step, Katie approached the apartment manager's door further down the hall. At the last second, she hesitated, then gave two short raps."Come in," a muffled voice called.Katie pushed the door open and found Scarlett in the living room, bent over in the position of Downward Dog. A dangerously thin woman demonstrated the yoga pose on the TV behind her. Scarlett glanced at Katie, her brows crinkling, as if she had be
Sam leaned over his desk and pointed to the calendar hanging on the office wall. “Why don’t we have something set up for Friday?”Zoe sighed. “Honestly, because people are a little hesitant to let the mayor come see how their operations work. They don’t see it as you wanting to reach out to them. They see it as you wanting to spy on them.”“But how can I help our city reach its potential if I don’t know our community?” Sam sat in his high-backed chair with a heavy thud. “I want to understand the people who helped elect me. I want to understand their concerns and the things that a politician usually doesn’t get to see.”Zoe s
Katie watched as the passing landscape transitioned from white fields and snow-capped mountains to desert and dry, flat plains. She had never been this far out west before, and she wasn’t sure she liked it. It was so dead and void of life. Then again, maybe she would fit in just fine.Her gas light blinked on and Katie cursed. She had ten dollars in her pocket, but that wouldn’t get her far. Normally she would ‘borrow’ a credit card from someone, but things were different now. She didn’t have anyone covering her tracks like she had in Colorado. If she was going to stay under Teddy’s radar she had to be more careful, and that meant no more ‘borrowing.’Crap. How was she going to survive?
Sam studied Katie across the cafe table. She seemed nervous. Either she was avoiding eye contact, or the menu she was buried in was more interesting than he was. He liked the way her blond hair fell forward, framing her face. Sam pulled his thoughts to a halt when Melinda walked up wearing a Santa hat, a pad and pencil in hand.“You’re looking good in those coveralls,” she said with a wink.“You’ll be able to see them again tonight on the ten o’clock news,” Sam said, offering her a smile.Sam noticed Katie staring at him from behind her menu, but when he glanced her way, she ducked behind it.With a wave of he
Katie snuggled deeper into the plush hotel bed, never wanting to leave. She still had a couple hours until checkout, so she wasn’t in a big hurry, though she did want to take advantage of their free breakfast. When was the last time she’d slept on a bed? Now that she thought about it, what had Scarlett been able to sell from Katie’s apartment? It wasn’t like she’d owned a TV or nice dishes or anything.She eyed the two black bags sitting in the corner of the room. Sam and CJ had been nice enough to help her clean out her car before taking her to the hotel, and CJ had even offered to buy the car for parts, in addition to not charging her for the tow. Katie couldn’t stop thinking about the two hundred dollars that sat in her back pocket. Any thief worth their salt could grab that and be gone without her realizing they ha