20. Marina

20

MARINA

T he morning sun was climbing across the sky when Marina and Peter stepped out of the house, her hand tucked in his. The village was stirring to life, but the people she saw on the paths were not on their way to work. Given their sporty attire, they were on their way to some exercise facility, some fast walking, others jogging or cycling.

"Does everyone here start their workday late?" she asked.

"Most clan members work from home." Peter led her down the winding path. "So, they can set their own hours." He smiled. "And some don't work at all and engage in creative activity that is not commercial in nature. Every clan member gets a share of the profits the clan enterprises generate, and if they are okay with a modest lifestyle, they don't need to work." He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "Guardians are very well paid, and I've been promoted twice already, and my pay increased accordingly. You don't have to work if you don't want to. You can be my pampered sex slave."

Marina chuckled. "As tempting as that sounds, I want to work and have my own source of income. I also want to meet people and not be chained to your bed twenty-four-seven." She smirked. "Although, I wouldn't mind that occasionally…"

Teasing aside, Peter might not always be around. He might tire of her or find his immortal or dormant truelove mate, and she needed to save for a rainy day.

It was a conclusion that Marina didn't like giving too much thought to, but she was painfully aware that she'd also once harbored the belief that her ex would be her forever one. Love blinded people to reality, and she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Peter kept introducing her to the people they were passing by, but there was no way Marina was going to remember all the names and faces. There were so many, and they all blurred together in a whirlwind of beautiful smiles and greetings.

The good thing was that no one had sneered at her or looked down their noses at her.

Finally, they arrived at the village café, a tiny building the size of a small train car with many adjacent outdoor seats. There were umbrellas over the tables, which probably served more to provide shade than to shield people from rain.

As the smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods wafted to greet them, Marina's stomach growled in anticipation.

"I wish I could stay and have breakfast with you." Peter squeezed her hand. "But all I can do is introduce you to Wonder, and then I have to run. My meeting starts in less than fifteen minutes." He pulled a card out of his pocket and pressed it into her hand. "Use this to pay for stuff in the café."

"I have money." She patted her pocket.

Peter shook his head. "You can't pay with money here. Only with the card."

Marina nodded. "Should I wait for you here until after your meeting?"

"Yes, but don't wait for me to have breakfast. I want you to eat, and when I come back, you can have coffee with me." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I hope to return bearing gifts."

He was getting her a clan phone, one of those fancy ones with internet access so she could read and watch movies.

"Yay!" Excitement thrumming in her chest, she lifted on her toes, wound her arms around his neck, and kissed him hard.

With a groan, he kissed her back, held her tightly for a few seconds, and then pushed her away. "I can't be late. Onegus will have my head." He turned toward the little booth where two gorgeous brunettes were serving customers. She knew Wonder, who had married the big redhead, but she wasn't sure she had seen the other one on the cruise. "Talk to Wonder. She's the one in charge."

"Okay."

He cast her an apologetic look. "I'll come find you as soon as I'm done." And then he was gone, striding down the path with his long legs.

Marina took a deep breath and walked over, but there was a long line of people waiting to be served, and she felt awkward about approaching Wonder and distracting her from her work, so she stood in line and waited until it was her turn.

"Marina," Wonder greeted her with a friendly smile. "Welcome to the village."

Marina was surprised that the female knew who she was. "Thank you. I was hoping I could talk to you about a job here."

Wonder grimaced. "I'm a little busy right now, but if you take a seat, I'll come to you when it gets a little less crazy here."

"Okay." Marina started to turn.

"Wait." Wonder stopped her. "Did you have breakfast yet?"

Marina shook her head.

"What can I get you? Do you want coffee, a Danish, a sandwich?"

It felt so awkward to be served by the immortal. "Coffee would be nice. And a Danish too, and a sandwich." She smiled sheepishly. "Peter has nothing in his house, and I'm famished. We just got here yesterday and didn't have time to go grocery shopping."

Wonder gave her a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you."

"Thank you." Marina pulled out the card Peter gave her and put it on the counter.

Wonder pushed it back to her. "It's on the house. Employees eat for free, and you are a future employee."

"You haven't even interviewed me yet."

Behind Wonder, the other female snorted. "If you want the job, you're hired." She handed a cup of coffee to the guy waiting for it and then offered Marina her hand. "I'm Aliya."

With a twinge of apprehension, Marina took the female's hand. "Nice to meet you."

The hybrid Kra-ell was surprisingly gentle as she shook her hand, and her smile was genuine. "Same here. I think I saw you on the cruise. You were serving food in the dining hall."

"That's right. I don't know how I missed you." Marina felt bad about not noticing Aliya.

"I didn't sit in the section you served."

Marina wanted to say that she had also attended some of the weddings as a guest, and she still hadn't seen her. Perhaps the female didn't like weddings and had stayed away.

After collecting her coffee, sandwich, and pastry, Marina took the tray to the only available table and sat down. She was lucky that most of the customers took their purchases to go, or she wouldn't have found a place to sit.

She was long done with her breakfast when the traffic in the café dwindled to a trickle and Wonder left Aliya to take care of things.

"Sorry it took so long." She pulled out a chair and plopped down. "It's crazy from six to nine in the morning, and then we have three hours of relative calm until the lunch rush starts. We close at six in the evening, though. So at least there is an end in sight."

"It's still a long day."

Wonder smiled. "It's not as difficult as it sounds. But that's because I'm immortal, and Aliya is half Kra-ell. Wendy used to work with us full time, which made things easier and allowed us to take days off from time to time, but after she enrolled full time in college, she switched to only working here on the weekends."

Marina tried to remember who Wendy was. The name sounded familiar, so maybe she had been one of the brides, but which one?

"For a human, it's tough," Wonder continued. "I don't expect you to work as hard as we do. If you can work during the rush time, that would greatly help us. Six to nine, and then twelve to three. Six hours total with three hours to rest between shifts shouldn't be too hard."

"I can work six to three."

Wonder grinned. "That's even better."

"How come the café is so busy?"

"This is the only place in the village open during the day, so everyone stops by to get their caffeine fix and something to eat."

"What happens after six?" Marina asked.

"We have vending machines in the back for those who want some coffee and a snack after hours, and Callie's restaurant is open four nights a week. Atzil's bar is open only on Friday and Saturday nights, but he's looking for more help to expand his hours. The bottom line is that you can pick your jobs around here." Wonder leaned closer to Marina. "But I hope you pick the café. Aliya and I need a third set of hands."

Marina worried her lower lip. "I don't know how to operate that coffee machine you have there. I can make great sandwiches, though."

"The pastries and the sandwiches are supplied by Jackson's bakery and kitchen. We just serve them. We only make coffee, tea, and hot cocoa."

"Well, that makes things easy. When can I start?"

Wonder grinned. "You can start today if you want. Now that it's not that busy, it is the perfect time to show you how to work the cappuccino machine."