Tess packed her journal, sketchbook, and pencils into a knapsack and threw it over her shoulder. Picking up her camera case, she slipped the house key her aunt had given her into her pocket and set out to explore.
She was determined to know the meaning of the Love Knot on Flynn's sign. It could just be a coincidence, like her aunt said, maybe it was a Celtic knot. There were probably dozens of designs like that on Terra that had never made it to Arus. For all she knew, that could be a very common design in Ireland.
But she had stayed up late the night before, searching images of Celtic knots online and not one of them she found looked exactly like the design on the sign or her birthmark.
After cutting through a couple of narrow streets and taking a wrong turn, Tess finally found her way to Main Street. At 9 o'clock in the morning it was far less crowded than it had been the evening before. According to the sign on the door, Flynn's didn't open for lunch until 11:00, but the bookstore next door had just opened.
A tiny bell jangled when she pushed open the door and Tess instantly fell in love.
Page Turners was a small store where shelves lined the walls and formed aisles. The checkout was a counter made of old books stacked up four feet high and topped with a dark wood countertop. Behind it sat a woman reading a book, sipping from a steaming mug.
To the right of the door were two, old overstuffed chairs that begged to be sat on, in between them was an end table made to look like large books piled up. Classical music was playing, very, very quietly, enough to create atmosphere, but not enough to intrude on the quiet. The sparse spots of wall that weren't blocked by shelves were decorated with framed book jackets and, near the back in the children's area, were framed pages from picture books. And throughout it all was the sweet scent of old books.
"Can I help you?" The woman behind the counter asked. She appeared to be about Tess' age, maybe a couple of years older. Her hair was blonde and cut in a short bob, framing her friendly, round face. Her eyes were green and expressive, showing genuine curiosity about this new woman who had entered her shop.
Tess crossed over to her. "Um, well, this is my first day here and I thought I'd get the lay of the land."
She set her book down and smiled at her. "Welcome to our little town, I'm Paige Turner."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, my parents are quite the bibliophiles, they thought it would be a great name, for their store and their daughter. Good thing I love books or this name would be more of a curse than a quirky blessing. And you are?"
"Oh, sorry, I guess that was a rude reaction."
Paige shrugged, "I'm used to it."
"I'm Tess Whitaker."
"Nice to meet you, Tess Whitaker, what brings you to this town of ours?"
"I'm visiting for the summer, staying with my aunt and uncle, Dana and Harry Kopchek."
"Oh, the Kopcheks! Your aunt and uncle are wonderful people. I can't place your accent, though, where are you from?"
"I'm from Arus."
"Arus? Where is that?"
It had never occurred to Tess that people might not have ever heard of her home planet. "It's a planet in the Denubian Galaxy."
Paige's eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. "Wow, you really aren't from around here. How far away it that?"
"It's about 13.7 million miles away."
"What's it like there?"
"It's quite similar to Terra, with trees and flowers and four seasons. We do have three moons, though, and our snow has a pink tint to it."
"Pink snow?"
"It's lovely, really."
"Does that mean your aunt or uncle is from Arus too?"
"No, my father is from Terra, he's Aunt Dana's older brother."
Paige nodded. "Okay. What do you do on Arus?"
Tess hesitated. She liked the idea of being anonymous on Terra, not being called 'Your Highness' or having people try to sneakily take pictures while she walked down the street, no guards hovering around and no one pointing and whispering. She just wanted to be a normal, non-famous person.
"I, uh, I just graduated from the university, I haven't decided yet what I want to do."
"Oh yeah? Congrats. What did you study?"
"Art history and creative writing."
"Hm. Kind of limits your options, doesn't it?"
Tess laughed. "Yeah, my parents told me to study what I loved and I'd figure out how to use it."
"Have you written anything?"
"I, uh, I had a few short stories published in school." She had written them under the pseudonym Gabrielle Luther, so far no one had discovered it was her and the feedback had been positive. Tess had been worried that if she published under her own name, she wouldn't get fair reviews. They would either be positive because of who she was or negative to spite her.
The bell jangled and Paige and Tess both turned to see a young mother enter with two children.
"Good morning, Mrs. Lawson." Paige greeted her.
"Oh, good morning, Paige."
"Can I help you find something?"
"Oh, Elliot knows what he wants," she said pointing to her son who was already heading back to the children's area. "I told him that if he behaved at his grandmother's last weekend he could have a new picture book."
"Well, if you're going to resort to bribery, I'm glad it's books," Paige teased.
The bell jangled again and a pair of teenage girls walked in.
"Do you have any books on Celtic and Irish histories?" Tess asked.
"Yup, follow me." Paige got up from behind the counter and led her to a shelf about halfway down the wall to the right. "If you're looking for something in particular and we don't have it, we can order it. If it's in stock, we can usually have it in two days."
"Thanks." Tess skimmed the shelves of European history. She found a book of Celtic designs, one on ancient Irish myths and legends, and a history of Celtic jewelry. Dropping her bags on the floor, Tess sat Indian style with the Celtic designs book open on her lap.
"All right," Keith looked around the conference table. "Any other business?"
It was the weekly meeting of the old and current Voltron Forces. They had agreed on a new upgrade for their blasters and that Green's thrusters needed to be replaced.
The team was still meeting three mornings a week for full practice with their lions and once a week they formed Voltron. They also had target practice and work out sessions five days a week. Learning to fly the ships with the Air Brigade and furthering their education at the military academy or the university took up the rest of their time.
"Uh, yeah," Erik spoke up.
Everyone turned to their former commander.
"Go ahead," Keith said.
Erik grasped Sky's hand and took a deep breath.
"Don't be so dramatic," Lance said.
"I'm not being dramatic, this is big news," Erik told his father-in-law.
"Then spit it out."
At this point, the atmosphere in the conference room had changed. Everyone around the table had guessed what he was going to tell them, but no one wanted to ruin their moment.
"Oh, for Pete's sake," Sky snapped. "I'm pregnant."
"That's great news!" Keith got up and went around to hug her. "Congratulations!"
Following his lead, everyone rose to hug and congratulate the couple on their news.
"How far along are you?" Brina asked.
"I'm twelve weeks," Sky told her, running her hand over her stomach.
Declan hugged her, "I can't believe you were able to keep it a secret this long."
"It wasn't easy. You really didn't know?"
"I had a feeling." Declan hated this part of his gift, knowing when something big was going to happen to someone close to him even before they did. He had known Gideon and Lynnai were going to have a baby and he sensed the same for Sky and Erik, but he would have rather been surprised along with everyone else.
Keith punched Lance in the shoulder. "Ha! You're going to be a grandfather!"
"Yeah, yeah. But you'll always be older than me," his friend retorted.
"How long can you fly?" Gideon asked.
"I can fly until I don't fit behind the control panel," Sky told him.
"We're going to start giving her a lighter load," Erik said. "And we're bringing in a back-up pilot just in case anything happens, Sky won't be in battle."
"Do your parents know?" Hunk asked Erik.
"Yeah, my parents and Sky's parents have known for a few weeks now."
"I'm impressed you kept the secret for so long, Uncle Lance," Declan said.
Lance shrugged. "It wasn't easy, but Darcy and Sky threatened me with severe bodily harm if I let anything slip."
"Cady figured out that I was pregnant before anyone else," Sky said.
"She's convinced you're having a girl," Tristan added. "And she's already planning her wedding to Sammy."
"Ha ha. No." Erik said, humorlessly. "I heard your son the other night, he's got a potty mouth, he's not allowed near my kid."
"Are you going to find out what you're having?" Brina asked.
"We haven't decided yet," Sky told her. "I kind of want it to be a surprise, but I don't think I have the patience to wait that long."
"And you are so well known for your patience," Gideon muttered.
"All right, All right," Keith spoke up. "First of all, you're not allowed to pick on pregnant women, Gid, that's just dangerous. And second, you're all dismissed. Except, you Declan, stick around."
"Yeah, Dad, what's up?" Declan asked, as the others filed out.
"You all right?"
Declan shrugged. "Yeah, why?"
"You seem distracted lately."
"I guess I just have a lot on my mind."
"Is it Tess?"
"No. I don't think she's in any real danger. But, something is going to change."
"I've often wondered if, because of your gift, knowing what is going to happen to others doesn't make you question what you're doing with your own life."
Declan slowly lowered himself into a chair. "I had never really thought about that."
"Your mother and I have always worried about how your gifts affect you and your brother. You both seem to handle it well."
"We don't really have a choice."
"I know." Keith let out a long breath. "What can I do to help you?"
Declan smiled at his father. "I'm fine, Dad, really."
"Are things okay with you and Brina?"
"Yeah, things are great."
Keith sat back in his chair and studied his oldest son. "You're feeling a bit restless, aren't you?"
He shrugged. "I guess so. I feel like I'm kind of in a rut. We practice, we fly, we train, but for what?"
"So you'll be ready when and if we're ever attacked again."
"I know, but there is no known threat."
"Are you not happy in your position as Black's pilot?"
"What? No!" Declan leaned forward. "I love what I do. I love flying Black, I love leading the team and working with these guys. It's just…when we're done training for the day, what do I do then?"
"If it isn't your work, maybe you need to take a good long look at your personal life."
"I, uh, I've been thinking about taking the next step with Brina."
"Proposing?"
"Yeah."
Keith smiled. "Can't say I'm surprised. What's the hold up?"
Declan let out a breath, not sure if he wants to talk to his father about this.
"Wondering if your relationship can handle the changing dynamic of being married to one of your teammates?" Keith asked.
Declan looked up at him. "Yeah, I guess you could say that's part of it."
"Well, son, you had better come up with a way to figure out what you want to do next or you're never going to get out of this rut."
Tess had no idea how much time passed as she studied the images in the design and jewelry books until she heard someone clearing her throat. She looked up and saw Paige standing over her.
"You find what you're looking for?"
"Not yet."
"Well, I'm hungry. Want to go get lunch?"
"Uh, sure. Just, let me pay for these."
Paige followed her up to the counter. "Are you researching your ancestery?"
Tess dug in her knapsack for her wallet. "Hm?"
"All these books about Celtic and Irish history."
Trying to find the Love Knot was part of her heritage so Tess decided to go with that explanation. "Yeah, I thought I'd look into it while on Terra."
"So, Whitaker's an Irish name?
"Um, I think it's actually English, but my father said we have some Irish in us too."
"You should talk to Griff McManus, he owns Flynn's and is a very proud Irishman."
"Maybe I will."
"Want to do lunch there?"
"Uh, sure. Can you leave for lunch?"
Paige looked around the now empty store. "Don't see why not. The foot traffic eases up around now and I put the sign on the door, letting people know I'll be back in an hour."
Flynn's was doing a brisk lunch business when they walked in.
"Hey, Paige!" A waiter stopped in front of them, carrying a tray loaded with delicious looking food.
"Hey, Kevin, got room for us?"
"The bar okay?"
"Sure."
"Go ahead and seat yourselves."
"I guess I should've asked, do you mind if we sit at the bar?" Paige whispered to Tess.
"Oh, no, that's fine."
They found a couple of free stools near the far end of the bar, right next to the taps.
"Hello ladies, are you here for food or just drinks?"
Tess looked up and felt the sensation of all the breath being sucked from her body. On the other side of the bar was a tall, broad shouldered man with large blue eyes, a crooked smile, and a head full of unruly, dark red hair. When he spoke, he had a melodic accent that made her feel weak in the knees.
"Oh, we are eating and if you want to bring us a bowl of pub mix to tide us over until the food arrives, I might not gnaw on the bar." Paige told him.
He laughed and moved a bowl of a nut and pretzel mix in front of them. "Always the lady, Paige. You gonna introduce me to your friend?"
"Yeah, Griff, this is Tess Whitaker, she's Dana and Harry's niece visiting for the summer. Tess, this is Griffin McManus, owner, manager, part-time bartender, full-time pain in the ass." She poked through the bowl. "I think you got a bad batch here, where are the cashews?"
"They're in there, keep digging." He turned to Tess and offered his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tess."
Feeling foolish, Tess cleared her throat and took his hand. "And you."
"Where are you visiting from?"
"Uh, Arus." Tess was overwhelmed with feelings of shyness, there was something about this man that left her feeling nervous and fidgety.
"Arus? Where's that?"
"Uh, it's uh, it's in the Denubian Galaxy."
"Oh! You're from an entirely different planet?" He narrowed his eyes and studied her. "You look very human."
She felt herself blush under his scrutiny. "Well, I am half Terran and Arusians are human."
"Griff, I have a business to run, can we get menus, please," Paige pleaded.
Reaching under the bar, he pulled out two menus, handing one to Tess and using the other to smack Paige on the head before handing it to her. "Your lack of patience is disheartening."
"Well, maybe you can stand around flirting all day and call it work, but I have customers waiting and a shipment due in this afternoon."
Tess felt her cheeks darken even more at the implication that Griff was flirting with her.
"I can't help it if part of my job involves talking to pretty girls." He winked at Tess.
A waitress stepped up in front of the taps. "Is that why you're not filling my drink order?"
He flashed her a grin. "I don't see a drink order, Jenna."
She slid a slip of paper across the bar to him.
"I'll be back in a minute to take your order," he told Tess before turning to gather glasses.
"The burgers are really good," Paige said.
Tess looked at the lunch menu, trying to make sense of the words in front of her. She remembered Cady telling her once about the first time she had met Tristan. He had been standing in Castle Control with his commanding officer and their father. When Cady saw him, even before he had spoken to her, even before she knew his name, she knew she was in love with him. She said it hit her like a punch to the stomach.
Tess had just chalked that up to her older sister's romantic personality. She didn't believe in love at first sight. It just wasn't possible.
But what she had just felt was something entirely new.
Tess had dated, especially after her official 'Coming Of Age' ball 3 years earlier, but nothing serious had come from the dates. Her longest relationship was while she was at the university and had lasted about a month and ended amicably. She had never experienced real love before and she found it very hard to believe that her trip to Terra would lead her to a restaurant that used the Love Knot as its logo and whose owner was her soul mate.
"Tess?"
She looked up to see Paige and Griff both looking at her expectantly.
"Are you ready to order?" He asked.
"Uh, yeah, I'll have the bleu burger. Medium well, please. And a Coke."
"Ah! Good choice. My favorite. What about you, troublemaker?"
Paige scowled at him. "You're lucky the food here is so good or else you wouldn't get my business."
"And how would I ever survive without the money I make off you eating my complimentary pub mix and nursing one beer once a week?"
She slapped her menu into his chest. "Just give me the club sandwich, no tomatoes, and an iced tea."
"I'll be right back," Tess told Paige after he left to put their order in. "I'm going to use the restroom."
"Around the other side of the bar." Paige pointed.
There were two doors, one marked 'Lads' and the other 'Lasses'. Glad to see it was a single bathroom, Tess locked the door behind her and took a deep breath. She felt like a complete fool. She was smarter than this.
Holding onto the edge of the sink, Tess stared at her reflection in the mirror.
"You are Her Royal Highness, Princess Tess Alexandra Marie Whitaker," she whispered. "You are a grown woman with a good education and royal breeding. There is no reason why you should be tongue-tied and blushing. Grow. Up!"
There was a sharp knock on the door.
Taking a deep breath, Tess stood up straight and put on her best composed Princess face.
"Everything all right?" Paige asked when Tess slid back on to her stool.
"Yup. "
"So, what else do you have planned for today?"
"I don't really have any plans, I'm just kind of going with the flow."
"Hm, well, I hope you're not looking for a fast flow, not here in Houten."
"I'm sure there are some fun things to do around here."
Paige dug a peanut out of the mix and popped it in her mouth. "Griff has live music Friday and Saturday nights. We're a two hour drive from New York City, an hour and a half from Philadelphia. If you like shopping, there are tons of outlets within an hour of here."
"And from what I've seen, this is a beautiful area. I was thinking about exploring some of the woods."
"If you ever find yourself bored, feel free to swing by the bookstore. I usually work 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. My parents run it in the evenings and weekends. They still like to work, but they're only part-time now, eventually they'll retire and it'll all be mine."
"Are you happy here?"
"Yeah. It's my home. Why?"
Tess shrugged. "I don't know, I wish I could just be happy at home."
"Who got the burger?" Jenna, the waitress who had placed the drink order earlier, stood behind the bar with their meals.
"I did," Tess told her.
"I guess that means this is yours, Paige."
"That it is."
Jenna leaned against the bar and stole a chip off Paige's plate. "How's your brother doing?"
Paige rolled her eyes. "He's fine, Jenna, still engaged."
"You let me know if that ever changes."
"You'll be the first I tell."
"You have a brother?" Tess asked after Jenna left them alone.
"Uh huh, he's older than me and the only person in the family who doesn't read. Oh look at this! I said no tomatoes. Griff did that on purpose. Jerk. Do you have any brothers?"
"Three."
"Three brothers?"
"And two sisters."
"No way! Six kids?"
"Yup. And I'm smack in the middle."
"You're the middle child out of six? No wonder you wanted to get away. What do your parents do?"
Tess hesitated a moment. "Uh, my, uh Dad is a pilot and my mother…she runs the household."
"How's that burger?" Griff leaned against the bar and nodded to her plate.
"It's very good."
"Hey Griff, hold out your hand." Paige said.
"Why?"
"Just do it."
He extended his left hand to her and she carefully placed four tomato slices on it.
"Are you serious?" He asked her, laughing.
She smiled at him. "I said no tomatoes."
He tossed them in a garbage can under the bar and washed his hands in the sink. "I'm telling your mother about this."
"Tattletale. We'll take the bill, I do need to head back soon."
"It's on the house."
"What? No."
He winked at her. "I screwed up your order."
"You didn't screw up mine," Tess said.
"No, this is my way of welcoming you to town. Enjoy."
"Oh, well, thank you."
"You're welcome. Next time you pay, though."
"You're on." She smiled, fighting to keep her voice casual.
"Come on, Griff," Paige groaned. "She's only been in town for a day, let her settle in before you turn the charm on."
He grabbed a fry off Tess's plate. "I couldn't turn off this charm if I wanted to."
"You wouldn't be half as charming without the accent."
"Whoo!" He swiped the back of his hand over his forehead. "Thank God for the accent and all the silly American women who fall for it."
"Good thing I'm Arusian and not American," Tess said.
Paige laughed. "Oh man, I like you, Tess!"
Griff stood up straight and wagged his finger at her. "Don't you worry, pretty Tess from Arus, I will charm you too."
With his accent and the sing-songy way he said it, he made her name rhyme with the name of her home planet. And he was successfully charming her.
"I have a pair of twin brothers," she told him. "They are very handsome and very charming, too. I know all the tricks."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You think I'm handsome?"
"Not as handsome as you think you are, apparently."
Griff laughed. "Pretty and quick-witted. I may just end up marrying you."
"I thought you were married to this place." Paige tapped the bar with her finger.
His smile melted away until he wore an expression of resignation. "Too true. And she's a tough mistress."
"Thanks for the lunch, it was as good as ever, well, except for the tomato juice on the sandwich."
"Vegetables won't kill you."
"They might." Paige slid off her stool. "But I must get back to my store."
Tess stood and picked up her bags. "I'm going to head out too. Thanks again, for lunch."
Griff took their plates and set them in a bussing bin. "You're both very welcome. Tess, come see me again soon. Paige, feel free to patronize any of the other restaurants on the street."
Paige responded with a rude gesture.
"Thanks for everything," Tess said as they walked back to the bookstore. "I had fun."
"So did I, feel free to stop by any time, I mean it." Paige unlocked the door and flipped the sign back to 'Open'. "Oh, you never got to ask Griff your question about your Irish heritage."
Tess shrugged. "I guess he charmed me out of remembering that. Oh well, I have all summer."
"Look, Tess, I like you, I think we can be good friends. And I love Griff, I've known him for years. Just…" Paige hesitated before gently dropping her voice. "He's a flirt, he flirts with every girl he meets, but it never leads to anything serious."
Tess smiled, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. "Thanks for the advice, but I'm just here for a short time, I'm not looking for anyone. I'll see you later."
"Hey, Tess," Paige called out before she got too far.
"Yeah?"
"Your handsome, charming twin brothers?"
"One is married and the other has a serious girlfriend."
Paige sighed. "The good ones are always taken."