She shook her head with a grin, then her gaze darted over my shoulder and her expression smoothed into professional politeness. “Is this the client?”
Lexi tailored her persona to her clients—or her marks. She switched between charming, smart, vapid, and cunning—and everything in between—as easily as others changed outfits. Until she found which worked best, she usually stuck with professional reserve.
I was interested to see what she would pick for Torran.
I turned so I could wave a hand at Torran. “Lexi Bowen, meet Torran Fletcher.” I gestured back at Lexi. “General Fletcher, Ms. Bowen.”
They nodded coolly at each other. Lexi’s gaze traveled from Torran’s head to his toes. She sent me an inquiring glance. “You let him go out on the station dressed like that?”
I huffed out a laugh. As if I had the ability to let Torran do anything. “I advised him to change or remain behind. He declined.”
Lexi’s eyes narrowed. “Did you run into trouble?”
I hesitated, which did me in as surely as admitting it. At the pause, Kee’s head snapped up. She had been examining the chocolate I’d bought, but now her stare locked on me. “What happened?”
“Just some asshole, being an asshole. It was dealt with, no one was hurt, and station security probably won’t want to talk to us, but maybe we should get an early start, just in case. Is everyone on board?”
Kee looked like she wanted to press more, but I silently shook my head and she subsided. “No,” she said. “Anja, Chira, and Eli left to get some additional parts.”
“For the ship?” When Kee nodded, I asked, “Did Anja forget to put something on the list?”
“She didn’t say. I didn’t have time to set up her credit account, so Eli went with her, and Chira decided to tag along, too—thankfully not in her armor. Between the three of them, they’ll surely be able to manage.”
I murmured my agreement. Eli wouldn’t buy something outrageous without consulting me first. I hoped that Anja hadn’t found more issues, but she must’ve if she needed more parts. I sighed and rubbed the spot between my eyes. I’d put off maintenance for too long, and now that decision was costing me.
The main hatch opened, and Varro stepped out into the cargo bay. His eyes landed on Kee first before flitting over the rest of us. Without a word, he moved to the levcart, hoisted two heavy bags of rice onto his shoulder, and then vanished back through the hatch.
“How did he even—” Lexi started, then paused and glanced at Torran. Her mouth compressed into an unamused line.
“Let’s get the rest of this stuff put away,” I said before she could comment further. “Leave the parts for now and focus on the food.”
By the time all the food was put away and the parts had been hauled down to maintenance, Eli, Anja, and Chira had returned, pushing a borrowed levcart piled high with additional items.
I met them in the cargo bay and pulled Eli aside. “How much did this cost?” I quietly demanded.
As soon as he looked at me sideways, I knew I wasn’t going to like the answer. “Nothing,” he said slowly. “Chira paid for everything out of Torran’s account.”
I closed my eyes and strove for patience. “Whose idea was it to get more parts?”
Eli frowned slowly. “Yours?” It came out as a question. When I sighed, he continued, “Chira said that you and Torran weren’t able to get everything, and that we should get the rest.”
I didn’t say anything, and Eli cursed. “You didn’t know.”
“I didn’t know,” I confirmed. “This was all Torran’s doing.”
“Why?”
“It’s a long story.” And the truth was, I wasn’t entirely sure why Torran had decided to buy the rest of the parts. The weight of this new obligation pressed on my temples, aggravating the headache I’d been fighting all day.
Eli met my eyes. “Do you want me to take everything back?”
The petty, stubborn part of me absolutely did want him to return everything, but I bit down on the response. Even if he returned it, the shopkeeper wouldn’t refund all the money, so I’d still be in debt and have nothing to show for it. I silently shook my head.
“Go have something to eat while we unload this stuff,” Eli suggested gently. “You look like you’re about to fall over.”
My stomach growled at the mention of food. It was nearly lunchtime and I’d been running on caffeine alone for far too long. “Once you’re done unloading the parts, make sure everyone has everything they need, then get us ready to fly. The sooner we leave, the better.”
“You don’t want to hire another engineer?”
I sighed. I’d spent last night going over our finances while waiting for docking permission. Things weren’t as bleak as they had been last week, but we were also spending money far faster. It made me nervous.
“Ideally we’d have another engineer, but we’re already burning through the budget. Anja confirmed she wants to stay on, so we’ll be okay until this job is done. If we find the heirloom and get the second payment, I’ll reevaluate.”
Eli nodded and went back to carrying parts, but not before giving me a pointed look and tilting his head toward the galley.
“I’m going, I’m going,” I grumbled.
I moved into the ship, keeping an eye out for Luna, but she didn’t launch herself at me. She was probably napping in the garden. Maybe I’d join her after I grabbed a meal bar.
The air in the galley smelled delicious, rich with butter and spices, and my stomach growled. Torran stood at the stove with his back to me. Luna clung to the guard on his shoulder, watching him cook. She turned and chirruped at me in greeting.
Torran glanced at me. “Are you hungry?” The question was casual, but his body language was not. He’d changed out of his armor, so I could see the tense line of his shoulders.
A thousand questions and accusations flickered through my mind, but I was too tired to fight right now, so I gave him the simplest answer. “I’m starving.”
“May I cook for you?” The question was oddly formal, and I still hadn’t looked up Valovian food customs. But I’d been cooking for him for nearly a week without incident, so the opposite probably wouldn’t cause any new problems—I hoped.
“Sure,” I agreed, “if you don’t mind. But if it’s too much work, I can grab a meal bar.”
He pointed at the bar. “Sit. I’m nearly finished.”
I frowned. “I don’t want to eat your lunch,” I protested. I edged toward the pantry. “A meal bar is fine.”
A barstool slid back by itself. “Sit,” he said again. “There is more than enough food to share.”
I gingerly perched on the seat and propped my elbows on the bar. Torran moved around the space with an easy familiarity. I tended to eat lunch at odd hours, grabbing leftovers or a bar whenever hunger finally pulled me from my task list, so I hadn’t noticed that he’d been cooking.
And he appeared to be good at it.
He slid the pan’s contents onto two plates, and then put a little bit on a small saucer and blew on it. Once it was cool, he set it on the floor and Luna jumped down with a little chirp. She butted her head against his leg, then turned to the food.
My heart threatened to melt, but I very firmly reminded it that Torran was the enemy.