LITMIR.BIZ

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He’s the only one you’ve charged with taking this ‘sacred experience’ for granted.”

      Shelly blinked. She opened her mouth but couldn’t find anything to say.

      “Look, I know how much it hurts to miss out on the astronaut program again,” Cheryl continued. “But there’s always next time. I know you won’t give up. But your dream to go into space shouldn’t have anything to do with Lincoln.”

      “I don’t think I’ve—”

      “From what you’ve said, he’s a hero. You can’t fake that. Maybe you just think that he doesn’t appreciate what he has. But you probably haven’t taken the time to get to know him. You have a habit of forming snap judgments about people, then refusing to see them any other way.”

      Shelly chewed her lip. Cheryl’s words were hitting too close to home. “I guess I can be opinionated.”

      “It’s not your fault. You got that from Mom.”

      Shelly winced. She and Sylvia London were a lot alike. So much so, they’d spent the better part of Shelly’s teen years not getting along.

      When Shelly moved out of the house after college, things finally started turning around. Her mother loosened her controlling grip on her life and began to treat her as an adult. The two of them agreed to start over. As time passed, they continued to grow closer.

      “Speaking of Mom,” Cheryl continued, “have you heard from her lately?”

      “You know Sylvia. Her BlackBerry has become a permanent extension of her hand. Every few days I get e-mails or text messages from her. I can’t remember the last time I actually heard her voice.”

      Their mother was a congresswoman in Washington, D.C. She had been divorced from their father for almost twenty years and had remarried six years ago.

      “And that’s exactly why I don’t have e-mail,” Cheryl said. “If she wants to say something to me, she has to do it over the phone. The same goes for you. Who knows if I’d ever hear from my baby sister if you didn’t have to dial direct.”

      “You know I’d call. Unlike Mom, I actually value the human contact. Especially now that I’m by myself out here.”

      “I promise, once the kids are out of school, I’ll hop on a plane and fly out to see you. But promise me that you’ll make friends with this Lincoln Ripley, because I’m dying to meet him.”

      Shelly rolled her eyes. “I’ll see what I can do. We’ve spent so much time butting heads, I don’t know if we can manage anything else.”

      “Nonsense. You’re an attractive woman. All you have to do is turn on the charm. An eligible bachelor like him won’t be able to resist.”

      “Uh, that’s unlikely.” Looking over her baggy cargo pants and oversize shirt, Shelly raised a self-conscious hand to her tightly bound hair. “I’ve kinda let myself go.”

      “Let yourself go?” Cheryl sounded outraged. “What does that mean?”

      “The humidity has been hell on my hair, and I haven’t had time to be fashion-forward. I’m sure Linc would describe me as…frumpy.”

      Cheryl made a tsking sound. “I knew you’d be lost without me to do your hair every two weeks. Can’t you find a good salon to hook you up?”

      “That’s easier said than done. All the places I’ve tried so far have been disasters.”

      “Get a recommendation. Find someone whose hair looks great and ask for the name of her stylist.”

      “I tried that. Do you remember Anisa from Make Me a Supermodel? I ran into Linc on a date with her, and she gave me the name of her salon. The place costs more than my mortgage payment.”

      “What else are you spending your money on? You said yourself that you haven’t been doing anything but working. Splurge and get that hair back in shape. Next time you can try someplace cheaper.”

      “I can’t believe the queen of frugal is instructing me to spend hundreds of dollars on hair care.”

      “Hey, hair care is my business, and I hate the thought of you walking around in front of hot astronauts looking like you belong in a homeless shelter. Buy some new clothes, too. A little makeover will make you feel better.”

      Shelly hung up with her sister, feeling invigorated. She didn’t want to admit to herself that she cared what Linc thought about her. It was much easier to spend all her time resenting his cockiness. But after her sister’s serious dose of straight talk, Shelly had to consider letting go of her grudge.

      Was it possible that most of her hostile feelings toward him stemmed from her own career frustrations?

      Ever since she’d been a child, she’d wanted to be an astronaut, and she’d done everything she could think of to make herself attractive to NASA. She’d attended Space Camp at sixteen, received her pilot’s license at twenty-one and earned her master’s in aerospace engineering by twenty-five. She’d even completed survival training with the marines after graduate school.

      Yet, despite all her hard work, she’d been turned down three times in a row. That still didn’t mean she was ready to give up. She would do whatever she could to get backdoor training for a space flight.

      When she’d accepted the position training astronauts on Draco, she’d known she had some bargaining power. Even though military restrictions prevented her from hitching a ride into space, she’d negotiated the right to train on all the equipment and simulators for the mission.

      When NASA received her next application, it would be her strongest effort. But it would also be her last. If she was rejected again, Shelly would have to face facts. Maybe she wasn’t meant to become an astronaut.

      Linc stepped out of the shower, rubbing his tired muscles. What had possessed him to make a date after the first day of training?

      Initially, he’d wanted to spend as much time as possible with Anisa before she left for Milan. But over the past few days, his interest in her had begun to fade.

      Walking into the bedroom, Linc eyed his pillows with longing. It had been a much more stressful day than he’d anticipated. Watching his nemesis choke on her food because he’d been teasing her had rattled him.

      Thankfully, he’d been able to help her, but that didn’t ease his guilty conscience. Hadn’t he resolved to be more sensitive toward her? It had just been so difficult when she was challenging him at every turn.

      On the other hand, it had forced him to raise his game. He stayed on his toes around her, and he was starting to look forward to their verbal sparring.

      It had been a long time since he’d come across a woman who wasn’t interested in dating him—one that might actually share some of his interests.

      Linc thought about that for a moment. Why wasn’t she interested in dating him? He was one of the most eligible bachelors in America. People magazine had said so.

      Shaking his head to clear it, Linc reminded himself that Shelly wasn’t his type, anyway. Models, actresses, women who spent time and money on their looks—they were his type.

      Shelly’s face came to mind. She didn’t spend a lot of time on her hair; she wore glasses and had no makeup at all. But she had smooth cocoa skin that was clear and creamy, and wide, full lips that were plump for kissing, and her dark brown eyes were a pretty almond shape.

      The doorbell rang, and Linc found he was still sitting on the corner of his bed, in his bath towel. Throwing on jeans and a T-shirt, he rushed to let Anisa in.

      He pulled open the door, and Anisa crossed the threshold, reeking of that cloying French perfume she loved. “Just look how you’re dressed. I thought you were taking me out.”

      Linc gave her a regretful smile. “Work did me in. Do you mind if we stay in?”

      “Staying

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