“I just normally have all my shit together and give youadvice. All of a sudden you’re making life-changing decisions without me. Iknow we don’t see each other as often as we could, but when you leave I won’teven have that chance. And what if this guy is a nut ball? Or a crazy wifebeater?”
“Drink your wine, sis. First, he’s never had a woman to beatso I doubt he’s abusive. According to the FAQ sheet women are revered becausethere are so few. Second, if I feel threatened in any way, there are people whoI can talk to. They would bring me back immediately and the trial period isover. Also, our profiles were matched, so if he is a nut ball then I guess I’mone too.”
Poppy allowed a small smile to creep over her face whenPixie snorted a laugh into her wineglass.
“You are obviously a nut ball. And so am I apparentlybecause I’m happy for you. How long do we have before you have to go meet Mr.Warrior?” Pixie grabbed the piece of bread on her plate and popped the entirething into her mouth.
“Well, that’s the other thing I needed to tell you. I shouldmeet him tomorrow morning to start the trial period.” And three, two, one,detonation.
“What!” The word was somewhat muffled by the carbs andgarlic flying out of Pixie’s mouth but Poppy understood her loud and clear.
“Apparently he’s really excited and we’re meeting tomorrowmorning.” Before Pixie could start protesting, Poppy held out her fingers andstarted ticking off her arguments. “My liaison, Valerie, will be in charge ofbill paying, mail forwarding and also hiring movers to take this stuff tostorage. Which reminds me, I need you to take the family photos to your placefor safekeeping. If this works out, I’ll most likely donate all my crap to thewomen’s shelter, so grab anything you really want to keep, and if I come home,I’ll just steal my shoes back.”
“Wow, you really do have all your shit together.” Pixie satthere stunned with bread crumbs all over her shirt. Grabbing the bottle ofwine, she chugged a couple gulps straight from the source and peered around theapartment.
“How come you’re so calm right now? I would be losing myshit,” Pixie finally asked once she’d demolished about a glass and a half viathe bottle.
“Honestly, I’ve had mini-breakdowns all day.” Poppy gavePixie a sheepish grin. “Valerie is a lifesaver and they’ve thought ofeverything to take care of for me so I don’t have to worry about that. I guessI’m too excited to be upset really. I mean, I’ve waited for something awesometo happen to me and I think this is it. I could be married in a month, Pix! Married!I haven’t had a steady boyfriend for a couple years and my dates have all beenlosers. What if this man is truly my soul mate and he just happens to come fromanother planet? I could be getting pregnant soon—that was something I couldn’teven think about before because I didn’t even see the possibility of meetinganyone.”
Poppy could tell what Pixie was thinking. By now she had torealize that nothing was going to change Poppy’s mind.
“You’re right, Pops. I am happy for you. It sounds likeyou’re happy with your decision.” She smiled and yelled as she turned to rundown the hall, “I just hope that you’re going to be happy I’m taking thoseshoes I’ve been wanting to steal for months now!”
Poppy laughed as she jogged after her crazy sister. Pixiewas right—she was happy with her decision. Nothing could pop this happybubble she had created for herself.
Chapter Nine
The next morning came sooner than Poppy expected.
“Are you ready?” Pixie asked, cradling a to-go cup ofcoffee.
“As I’ll ever be…and you’d better have gotten me a cup too. Mycoffeemaker broke this morning and I haven’t had any caffeine since I finishedthe first pot.” Poppy stood and cataloged what she’d scattered on the floor.Three suitcases and one duffel bag, courtesy of Pixie.
“Did you say you’d already had a pot of coffee before youbroke it?”
“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep so I got up at four and made a pot.Then the coffeemaker decided to break on me like the piece of crap it was. Anddon’t give me that look. I can’t take your judgment this early in the morning.”
She walked to the bathroom to get the smaller duffel she’dfilled with her toiletries. Shampoo, check. Deodorant, check. Tampons, check.Birth control pills, check, although she wasn’t sure whether she would needthem or if she was even allowed to take them with her. She only had one week ofpills left, so surely it wouldn’t be a problem. Endless amount of hair ties,check.
“Damn, Pops, you pretty much packed every single piece ofclothing you had. Couldn’t you at least leave some of the yoga pants?” Pixielaughed when Poppy pretended she was going to throw the small duffel at her.“Just kidding, jeez.” She set her cup of coffee down on the nightstand andjumped over a bag to give Poppy a hug. “You still sure this is what you want todo?”
“Absolutely. I think packing helped me step over the ‘Idon’t know’ feeling that may have been floating around inside my head. Pix, mylife literally fits into these bags. Everything else is disposable.” Poppyturned around and scanned the room again. “Is that pathetic?”
“No, Poppy. It’s not pathetic. You just haven’t set downroots yet. I would be in the same place if I hadn’t met Brian.” Pixie brushed akiss on Poppy’s cheek. “It’s time to go, slowpoke. We need to leave in the nextten minutes to be there on time, and that means we can’t get you a coffee ifyou don’t hurry. I’ll grab this bag and head down to the car, so don’t keep mewaiting.”
Pixie jumped as Poppy smacked her ass on the way out thedoor. “Let’s hit the road then. I have a new life waiting for me.”
One cup of coffee and a drive through traffic later, Pixiewas pulling up to the Intake Center. The building appeared
