Free Catch a Falling Star by Lynette Sowell

Justine tried to pull her hand back, but Chin-Mae’s vice grip held as she inspected her fingertips. “I know, my nails are a mess.”
    “You been worrying?” Chin-Mae studied her face. “A lot on your mind, your nails tell me the story. You need some work on these.”
    Justine nodded. Worrying and a lot on her mind were an understatement. “So I’m here now. Please, fix the mess I’ve made.”
    “You want a mani-pedi, right?”
    “That’s right. I’ve been worrying a lot.”
    “It’ll be forty for both, including foot massage. Sound good to you?” Chin-Mae released her hand and waved toward the area behind the counter. “Come over here, and we’ll get started. You put your worries to bed for a while.”
    “Forty sounds super to me.”
    Chin-Mae led her around to the nearest high-backed, cushioned chair. In the chair next to it, another woman sat soaking her feet. Her hair was the color of dark honey, and her skin had a tawny glow that didn’t come from a tanning bed. Her green eyes widened in recognition.
    “Hey,” said Justine.
    “Hi,” the other woman replied. “I’m Tamarind Brown.”
    “Justine Campbell.”
    “I know.” Tamarind grinned. “Sort of hard to stay anonymous here, isn’t it? Or anywhere, for that matter.”
    “I’m used to it, sort of.” Justine settled into the chair and put her hands on the cushioned armrests. “I don’t know about you, but sometimes spa therapy is exactly what a girl needs.”
    Tamarind nodded. “You’re right. I love some girl time away from The Pit.”
    “The Pit?” What on earth did this woman do for a living?
    “The home of the best Texas barbecue in Starlight, or anyplace else in central Texas.”
    “Oh, I see.”
    “Yes, yes. The Pit has the best barbecue anywhere,” said Chin-Mae. “Ms. Brown brought me some barbecue and I give her kimchi. Good trade.”
    “What’s kimchi?” She’d heard of it but never knew exactly what it was.
    “Korean marinated vegetables, often cabbage. It can be very hot and spicy. And Chin-Mae’s is awesome,” Tamarind replied.
    “I haven’t been back to Korea in twenty years, but I still remember how to make it.” Chin-Mae glowed at Tamarind’s praise. “I love Texas. And Texas loves me. So I get barbecue from Ms. Brown.”
    Justine tried not to wrinkle her nose at the sound of pickled cabbage. How she wished she felt the same way about Texas. But the camaraderie these women shared was something she craved. Different cultures, set in a melting pot in the heart of Texas. Talking about food and laughter.
    “My niece, Liann, I'm trying to get her to move here,” said Chin-Mae. “I think she'd like to be friends with you two.”
    “I’d love to meet her when she gets to town someday.” Tamarind wiggled her toes in the foot bath and glanced at Justine.
    “Oh, um, yes. It would be nice to meet her.” But Justine didn’t want to set down roots here or get attached and become a fixture here. This was only temporary.
    “Good, good. She is having a hard time finding a teaching job after college, and she is willing to move here if she can't find one where she lives now. I’m glad she’ll have friends when she gets here.” Chin-Mae clapped her hands. “Now, Ms. Justine, my helper Sue will take care of you while I work on Ms. Brown.”
    “That’s fine by me.” Justine normally brought her MP3 player to the spa and didn’t talk to anyone. Maybe next time she came here, she’d do that too. Although Tamarind seemed friendly enough, Justine wasn’t in the mood for talking.
    Tyler hadn’t returned her calls in almost a week. Not a text, either. Movies took up a lot of time. But ever since his blasé dismissal of her crisis, Justine doubted if he’d given her a second thought. What had happened to them? Not that there was much of a them anymore.
    “Fix yourself up and get back here to me,” he’d told her. The premiere of his latest movie had been Friday night, and there’d been a red carpet