Free Brida Pact by Leora Gonzales Page A

mistakes. Brian is still acting
weird and when I tried to talk to him last night he brushed me off.”
    Shaking her finger at Poppy, Pixie smiled. “And don’t even
mention getting a cat and being a cat lady. You’re allergic to them, you loon.”
Pixie took another sip of her wine and continued.
    “I just normally have all my shit together and give you
advice. All of a sudden you’re making life-changing decisions without me. I
know we don’t see each other as often as we could, but when you leave I won’t
even have that chance. And what if this guy is a nut ball? Or a crazy wife
beater?”
    “Drink your wine, sis. First, he’s never had a woman to beat
so I doubt he’s abusive. According to the FAQ sheet women are revered because
there are so few. Second, if I feel threatened in any way, there are people who
I can talk to. They would bring me back immediately and the trial period is
over. Also, our profiles were matched, so if he is a nut ball then I guess I’m
one too.”
    Poppy allowed a small smile to creep over her face when
Pixie snorted a laugh into her wineglass.
    “You are obviously a nut ball. And so am I apparently
because I’m happy for you. How long do we have before you have to go meet Mr.
Warrior?” Pixie grabbed the piece of bread on her plate and popped the entire
thing into her mouth.
    “Well, that’s the other thing I needed to tell you. I should
meet him tomorrow morning to start the trial period.” And three, two, one,
detonation.
    “What!” The word was somewhat muffled by the carbs and
garlic flying out of Pixie’s mouth but Poppy understood her loud and clear.
    “Apparently he’s really excited and we’re meeting tomorrow
morning.” Before Pixie could start protesting, Poppy held out her fingers and
started ticking off her arguments. “My liaison, Valerie, will be in charge of
bill paying, mail forwarding and also hiring movers to take this stuff to
storage. Which reminds me, I need you to take the family photos to your place
for safekeeping. If this works out, I’ll most likely donate all my crap to the
women’s shelter, so grab anything you really want to keep, and if I come home,
I’ll just steal my shoes back.”
    “Wow, you really do have all your shit together.” Pixie sat
there stunned with bread crumbs all over her shirt. Grabbing the bottle of
wine, she chugged a couple gulps straight from the source and peered around the
apartment.
    “How come you’re so calm right now? I would be losing my
shit,” Pixie finally asked once she’d demolished about a glass and a half via
the bottle.
    “Honestly, I’ve had mini-breakdowns all day.” Poppy gave
Pixie a sheepish grin. “Valerie is a lifesaver and they’ve thought of
everything to take care of for me so I don’t have to worry about that. I guess
I’m too excited to be upset really. I mean, I’ve waited for something awesome
to happen to me and I think this is it. I could be married in a month, Pix! Married! I haven’t had a steady boyfriend for a couple years and my dates have all been
losers. What if this man is truly my soul mate and he just happens to come from
another planet? I could be getting pregnant soon—that was something I couldn’t
even think about before because I didn’t even see the possibility of meeting
anyone.”
    Poppy could tell what Pixie was thinking. By now she had to
realize that nothing was going to change Poppy’s mind.
    “You’re right, Pops. I am happy for you. It sounds like
you’re happy with your decision.” She smiled and yelled as she turned to run
down the hall, “I just hope that you’re going to be happy I’m taking those
shoes I’ve been wanting to steal for months now!”
    Poppy laughed as she jogged after her crazy sister. Pixie
was right—she was happy with her decision. Nothing could pop this happy
bubble she had created for herself.

Chapter Nine
     
    The next morning came sooner than Poppy expected.
    “Are you ready?” Pixie asked, cradling a to-go