Coffee Cup Dreams (A Redpoint One Romance) by J.A. Marlow Page B

Ricardo is listening to the bots
for a change. I think Damien had a talk with him."
    Arthur suppressed a grin. "Which is why I gave
him to Damien. He'll whip him in shape."
    "Great. How about finding me an apprentice or
two. I need to train up a few in my section," Rachel said,
scrubbing out the black scum on the bottom of the coffee
pot.
    He tried not to sigh. "I'm trying."
    While Rachel busied herself finding something
cold to drink after giving up on the coffee pot, he mentally
cataloged who would still be out on duty. They had a minimal night
crew, but he needed to make sure someone went through the area to
check on it through the night. Just to make sure the area was still
safe.
    "So, who is the newbie?"
    Arthur jerked, almost spilling his coffee. The
one subject he didn't want to bring to mind again. "Tish Douglas.
From Earth."
    "Any maintenance experience?"
    "None. We seem to have better luck with those
lately."
    Rachel laughed, dropping a few ice cubes into
her flavored water. "Indeed. I'm glad the standards changed, or I
wouldn't be here. Working out?"
    Working out in too many ways, but to Rachel he
simply nodded and said, "So far."
    "Okay, I need help," Damien said through the
identification band.
    Arthur set down the coffee, the flavor
suddenly tasting as vile as it looked and smelled. "What is
it?"
    "Found another leak near a Sector bulkhead. I
need to shut down life-support in two sectors long enough to repair
it. That means your approval."
    "On my way."
    Rachel made a face at him. "No rest for the
wicked."
    She didn't know the half of it.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SEVEN

    TISH WOKE UP the next morning ready to attack life. A bot
arriving with a tray with all the fixings for coffee and breakfast
topped it off. And where else would she drink it other than on the
terrace?
    The bot settled next to her, holding the tray
above its body with two arms, refusing to let her take it and set
it on the small round table next to her chair.
    "Fine, you can hold it," she said to it,
pouring out a cup of coffee.
    She watched as the creamer poured into the
cups, milky clouds erupting from the bottom. Smooth billowing
clouds, rising and spreading, the shapes appearing, disappearing,
combining.
    With them her thoughts floated. From the last
days on Earth when the Gettys gave her a goodbye dinner. The trip
to Redpoint One. Her first view of the station. Of her first
meeting with her new boss.
    She sighed as they dissipated into the black
coffee, turning the over-all color to a soft dark brown.
    "This could get complicated," she said to the
bot.
    It angled its eyestalks up towards her, giving
a curious chirp.
    "Arthur," she clarified. "Workplace romances
don't work out. I should know. Too bad we don't work in different
departments."
    Come to think of it, she hadn't met anyone in
a different department that she knew of. Maybe that would come
today. Maintenance worked all over the station, so surely they
would interact with other departments.
    Maybe once she'd met more people she would be
able to put this attraction to the side. Find other activities,
friends, hobbies. Once settled, even perhaps find a romance to
distract her.
    Gray-blue eyes from the midst of her coffee
mocked her.
    She glanced down at her wrist computer. Almost
time for work. A cup of coffee, just her and the bot gazing off at
the scenery, a simple breakfast from the sample of items on a plate
next to the coffee makings, and she was ready to tackle the
day.
    She stretched, pulled her ponytail a little
tighter to make sure the hair bands has settled, and then said to
the bot, "Off to work. Can you lead the way?"
    She found the answer outside her door. Another
bot with a pulsing red light on the top of its outer shell waited
for her. Upon her exit, it took off down the hall in the direction
she'd remembered coming from the night before. The bot with the
tray headed off in the other direction.
    This time she paid closer attention to
directions. A few more times