Chapter Twelve

Five days later

Prudence settled in the office cubbyhole of the crowded apartment and booted up the DataDrive. She needed a baseline snapshot of their financial picture so they could better evaluate the success of the grand opening in two days.

Sales from yesterday, the last day of operation at the cozi, had been uploaded, so the data was current. Larth had gotten teary-eyed at the close of the day when they rolled down the shutters on the booth. Other vendors had rushed over to wish them luck in their upward endeavor.

"You are doing what we all hope to achieve," Adar said. "You're an inspiration to us all. I hope we can be as successful as you."

"You can be," Larth had replied in a hoarse voice. "Keep working hard and don't give up. I'm excited for the new shop, but I'm a little sad to leave the cozi because the dream started here." He'd wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "The cozi was always intended to be just the first step. Pru helped me turn the dream into a reality. She's the best wife a guy could have."

She'd teared up a little then herself.

Larth had gone to clean and clear out the stall, to ready it for the next vendor. Krogan had opened a fourth marketplace this year, but the waiting list remained long. The tenant would be thrilled to get a space. While Larth was taking care of the booth, she'd stayed home to review their financials.

Something had changed since he'd taken her to the finished bakery, and they discovered the android's snafu. Their nightly sex had always been hot, but lately it seemed imbued with increasing affection and tenderness. She often caught him watching her. He touched her in a myriad of ways throughout the day. Compliments were frequent. He smiled and laughed more. Mentioned Sala far less often.

It's like he's wooing me.

She couldn't help but respond to the attention, like a flower turning toward the light. He had become her sun, and her life had started to revolve around him. If their relationship had improved to this degree now, how would it be in a year? Might he actually love her by then? She already loved him, but held off telling him until she was more confident of his affections .

But hopeful? Oh, yes, she was optimistic about the future for the first time.

The fly in the ointment was the damn bakery name. She knew she was wrong to resent it. If she and Larth were growing closer, why did it matter what he called the shop—especially since he'd decided on the name before she married him. Furthermore, she truly did not begrudge Larth's former marital happiness. On the contrary, it proved how deeply he could love. Second wife didn't necessarily mean second best.

But she'd come in second place before, and the signage suggested she might never quite measure up to the sainted Sala. Death had beatified her. How could she compete with that?

I have to get over the name. Have to accept it. But that was easier said than done when the name was emblazoned two feet high across the shop wall where she'd see it every day.

Let it go.

She accessed their DataDrive and perused the general ledger of assets, revenue, capital, and expenses. Operating capital had dwindled, but they shouldn't need to purchase anything else for a while. They had no employees to pay. Her salary would be delivered as a year-end bonus. And, hopefully, sales would take off like a rocket. However, a couple of construction contractors still needed to be paid. All profits had been invested back in the business. They had no reserves. It was sink-or-swim time.

Please let the bakery be a success! From this point forward, they would incur expenses they'd never had before like sky-high rent and the huge loan payments on Donna.

She closed the file and shut down the DataDrive.

There was so much risk in opening or expanding a business. Like the android. Pru had been shocked to discover how much Donna had cost. It would take them years to repay the astronomical loan. But, in the long-term, having a robo would save them money. Provided we keep baking snafus to a minimum.

She chuckled. Although the excess production had been an expense they couldn't afford, given their slim profit margin, it was still funny. Donna had produced enough baked goods to fill the cozi, the new bakery, and another shop—with leftovers! But they'd learned something important—be precise in their instructions; don't assume anything. Donna would do exactly what they told her to. Nothing more, nothing less.

But she was optimistic the snafu would turn in their favor. They had canvassed the businesses in their cloudtopper and in several others nearby, dropping off cakes, pies, sweet rolls, and breads. Darn near every customer in the cozi the next day had received a sample of something. If only a fraction of the people they'd reached attended the grand opening and bought something, they could recover the cost of the giveaways. And, hopefully, repeat business would result.

She slipped the DataDrive into its case and set it on the floor to take to the shop. She couldn't think of anything else that needed to go, but, just in case, she began opening the drawers of the console. Empty. Empty. There was none of the usual office detritus sometimes found on Terra Nova. Caradonia had gone completely electronic. Writing paper did not exist.

Dust. Crumbs. The remnants of a muffin or cake. She smiled. Larth had been snacking at the desk.

In a bottom drawer shoved all the way to the back, she discovered a small, shiny square blue box. She opened the hinged cube to find a cylindrical object, a little bigger than her thumb. What is this? A storage drive maybe? Old files? She set the box on the console and removed the item to examine it. As she turned it over in her hand, she must have activated something because a blue beam shot out of it .

Seconds later, a hologram of a woman materialized by the console. Pru could tell she'd been extremely pretty once, but illness had stolen her beauty. There were bare patches on her scalp, and the hair she did have lay lank on her bony shoulders. Her skin was more gray than blue, and the gliteri across her collarbone appeared to be flaking off. Dark rings encircled weary, sickly eyes.

She'd never seen a vid or still of Sala but knew instantly that was who stood before her. Turn it off. Turn it off! How do I turn this thing off? She had no business watching this.

"Larth, my love, I am about to enter the stasis pod…" The melodious voice was shaky, weak.

Prudence fumbled with the tiny device but couldn't find a switch or a button. She dropped the disk into the box and slammed the lid. Sala still stood there.

"In hopes a cure for the nano-virus will be found."

No. No. Ack! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. She would not, could not violate her husband's privacy to satisfy her curiosity. The message was intended for his eyes only. Pru would put it back in the desk and forget she found it. But first she had to shut it off !

She reopened the box, grabbed the device, and shook it. The hologram never even wavered.

"If you are watching this, then I did not survive."

"What are you doing?" Larth's angry voice boomed from behind.