Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 144433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
"So another meat on meat sandwich." She shakes her head at him. "I'm going to ignore the weirdness of that and ask about serving logistics. What do you wrap that in to keep it all together? Paper? Plas?"
He shrugs. "Wax?"
"Wax?! On a sandwich?"
"Meat-flavored wax. It's not harmful and it causes a nice texture change when you sink your teeth in. Cubs at home love the wax."
Simone gives him a look of abject horror and then spots me. "Come get your husband, Maeve. He's telling me I need to give people wax and meat sandwiches."
"It's street food," he protests. "Truly it's not that odd. The wax is seasoned and flavored and stamped with the business logo."
I move to Zhur's side and slide my arms around his. "Simone's a baker, Zhur. She deals with sweets and breads."
"Yes, but those are disgusting," he says, all cheer. "A meat sandwich—that's the dish to bring the customers running."
"I'll consider it," Simone says tactfully and then shoots me a look that tells me she's not going to consider it at all. "In the meantime, I have your disgusting sweet buns that you love."
Zhur holds up the box proudly. "Right here. But I have no credits on me. They are in my other trou."
He's giving me an intense, weird look that tells me I need to go along with it. "Right. You must have left your wallet at home, babe. No worries. I've got this one." I pull a few credits out of my pocket and hand them over to Simone. "You can get the next round."
"I shall," he agrees. "Are you ready to go walking? There might be a lamppost you have not greeted yet."
"Har de har."
Simone snorts with amusement. "Newlyweds and he's already got you pegged."
"I have never had a conversation with a lamppost," I say, lifting my chin.
"Only because they will not talk back," Zhur agrees, and then leans in to give me a light peck on the mouth.
A kiss. A public kiss. I immediately get flustered, because the look on his face tells me that he's thinking about the difference between public and private kisses, and now I am, too. It's an affectionate gesture, the perfect sort of offhand intimacy a husband would give his wife, and I'm completely thrown for a loop when Zhur does it, because I know it's calculated and yet it also means a hundred other things, none of them fit for public consumption.
My face heated, I tilt my head in the direction of my farm. "Actually I wanted to see how the weeding program is coming along. We'll head home early I think. See you tomorrow, Simone?"
"Same bat time, same bat channel," she agrees, pushing pastries to the front of the cart and barely glancing over at us.
"See you then." I tug on Zhur's arm.
"Until tomorrow, Simone. Think about those meat sandwiches," Zhur says as we walk away.
I hold onto Zhur's arm, hugging him tight as we head out of town and back onto the road that cuts across the rolling hills. My brain is completely focused on that kiss, so much so that I've almost forgotten that I was going to tell him about Nassakth's home. Not yet, I decide. I won't be able to get him to focus on anything once I tell him about it. "So you and Simone were chatty."
"She is trying to build her business. I was merely attempting to help. I had a great many tutors that taught me about rudimentary economics. I do not think she is interested in expanding her business much, though. She seems content for it to be small and to cater only to human tastes."
"Nothing wrong with that." I pat his arm. "Anything else going on around town?"
"Around town?" Zhur thinks for a moment and then shakes his head. "No. Simone says all is quiet. Nothing of interest is going on at all."
Yeah, that sounds about right.
CHAPTER
SIXTY-NINE
ZHUR
I continue to smile as we walk, hoping she does not realize the lie I have told her. Kazex has returned, and if I speak to him, I can find out why I am here instead of at the remote, safe location that Zebah was supposed to drop me at. I can schedule my retrieval to somewhere slightly less rustic, like a nice vacation planet somewhere.
But then I won't get to have sex with Maeve again. I won't get to meet Nassakth.
While I am looking forward to being free of the smell of this place, the timing is very inconvenient. I have things going on. Kazex is just going to have to wait a bit longer. If Maeve knew he was in Port she might not agree to help me find Nassakth. She might decide that our sham marriage is over, and while I do loathe this planet, the thought of leaving right now distresses me.