Page 11 of Pulled By the Tail
And the job hunt… Yeah. She fucked up today but as long as they kept checking her references, and Kevin badmouthed her, she’d never find a job. Leaving the job off her resume made a suspicious four-year gap. Maybe she could find someone else at the company to list as her supervisor? No, if she planned to doctor her resume, she should at least use Freema, who would sing her praises.
Had it gotten that bad? Having her best friend pretend to be her boss just to get a job, any job.
Depressed at the thought, she checked her messages. A response from Celestial Mates sat at the top of her inbox.
She remembered signing up for the dating app. The next morning, hungover, she canceled her account. At least she thought she did. There was probably a box she didn’t check or a button she forgot to press. The last thing she needed was dating drama. Kevin embarrassed her more than broke her heart, letting herself be played like that, but the idea of moving on made her nervous.
She’d just send a quick reply and set Celestial Mates straight—
A Tal male, with light amber complexion with darker stripes, grinned up at her. He had fine features, dark eyes framed with dark lashes, and russet hair that sat in an unruly mop on his head. Those eyes though, they weren’t quite human, and she felt as if he stared out of the screen directly at her.
Georgia blushed. He had to be the single most beautiful man she’d ever seen.
Tranquility Achaval.
This guy needed a mail order wife? Really? She felt confident that he could get a date easily.
She read the brief bio, which explained that he lived on Corra, a planet on the edge of nowhere, ran a bed and breakfast, and wanted an heir. Huh. So there weren’t any women on Corra? Or no women there were willing to make babies with him? Maybe he just had a thing for humans.
She scrolled back up to his image, trying to discern why a striking man such as him needed a matchmaking service. The photo told her nothing. Rereading the bio told her nothing more than he lived on a remote planet, ran a bed and breakfast, and wanted a family.
Isn’t that what she wanted? A family with a responsible partner? She could picture an idyllic life in a B&B, chatting with guests, and chasing after the little ones.
That sounded good, actually.
She went back to the photo. He had a charming smile and Georgia felt the desire to get to know him better, but Celestial Mates wasn’t a dating app. There was no casual dating or even a get-to-know-you. She had to make a serious commitment, a leap of faith.
The smart thing to do would be to delete the message and forget the beautiful alien man with a charming smile.
The rain showed no signs of letting up. She should get home now before traffic turned into a nightmare. It rained sparingly in Southern California but when it did, the city came to halt. She rushed out, oblivious to the rain. It drenched her with a cold that settled into her bones. Once in the car, she shivered and rubbed her hands together until the heater finally warmed the space.
Her options were running out and she didn’t know how much longer she could abuse Freema’s hospitality. Going off to marry a stranger on the far side of the galaxy seemed like overkill but, honestly, why not? Her evil ex would continue to torpedo her job prospects. Her bank account had hunger pains it was so empty.
But Freema…
Georgia had no family to speak of, but she had an amazing and supportive friend. Then again, Freema had always talked about going to an off-world colony after she finished her residency. A lot of colonial governments paid bonuses for skilled professionals to emigrate, especially doctors.
All that was a year away, but Georgia didn’t think Freema would change her mind. She talked about it too often.
Her gut said to take a chance on the Celestial Mates match, her perfect match, but her gut also thought moving in with her boyfriend and taking a job at his company was a grand idea. She couldn’t trust her gut.
Back at the apartment, she made a lasagna from scratch and waited for Freema to come home.
“Something smells amazing,” her friend said, dropping her rain-soaked coat at the door.
Georgia went to the kitchen and served up two helpings. She must not have looked the part of a happy homemaker because Freema laid a hand on her wrist. “What’s wrong? Is it the job hunt? Don’t worry. You can stay here as long as you need, roomie. Especially if you keep making me lasagna,” Freema said.
“I need to pick your brain.”
“Well, that sounds ominous.”
Georgia pulled out her phone. She explained the message from the agency and all the reasons to take a chance.
“This is him?” Freema grabbed the phone and examined Tranquility’s photo. “He’s almost too pretty.”
“I know, right? I keep wondering what the catch is.”
Freema stared at the photo. “Too lazy to date or too busy. I say go for it.”
