Coffee Cup Dreams (A Redpoint One Romance) Read Free

in such a firm and surprised voice that Tish
looked up at her.
    And in neither of their faces did Tish see
fear. Only concern, and it was all directed towards her. So, if
they weren't afraid of her, why did they agree with her
moving?
    Even as she thought of the questions, she knew
the answer. She asked the question she dreaded. "I need to leave
Earth, don't I?"
    Both slowly nodded. Neil added, "It's the only
choice if you want to stay drug free."
    The prospect filled her with even more dread.
She'd been subsisting on savings for the last four months while
searching for a new job. With each month what few skills she could
list on a resume were becoming stale and rusty. What kind of a
living could she make off-planet when she could barely make one on
Earth?
    She said out loud, "I'm not a pilot, and I
know nothing of trading protocol."
    "You don't make beds well, either," Maria said
with a laugh.
    Neil chuckled. "Or weed the
garden."
    "That's what the yard robots are for," Tish
said. And if any robots had been working that particular day Maria
would still have marigolds along the front porch.
    "Robot repair," Neil suddenly said. He reached
for his belt, pulling out his pocket computer.
    "Don't you dare let her work on the robots,"
Maria said, snagging one of the cookies.
    "Seriously, not robot repair," Tish said. "Is
there much call for filing clerks off-planet?"
    "As a job."
    Tish and Maria sighed at Neil at the same
time. Tish shook her head, "Nice thought, but you need
certification to work on engines, life-support, or anything else on
a ship. I'm pretty sure that includes robots."
    "Not on a ship. I don't think you would do
well cooped up on one anyway." He thumbed through screens,
muttering to himself.
    "Some planets have even worse regulations for
psis than Earth does," Tish said, wishing she could remember more
of what she'd read. "Moving to a colony world might not help me.
Or, maybe one of the further out colonies?"
    But there must be some out there that would
just let her live and be herself. She needed to do some research,
and fast. How long did it take to move to a colony world, anyway?
Citizenship transfer, customs? She didn't really know. She'd never
had a reason to know.
    "No, no. You can't move fast enough, and you
shouldn't be alone. Someone should look out for you," Neil
said.
    Tish sat straight up and glared at him. "I've
been taking care of myself since I was fifteen. I don't need
someone to look out for me."
    Maria's glare joined with Tish's. "Dear, you
aren't seriously thinking-"
    "-Of course I am. He needs people, doesn't
he?" Neil interrupted. "Aha, here it is. This is where you should
go for now, until you get comfortable with off-world living.
Redpoint One."
    It was Tish's turn to go into shock. She felt
her jaw go slack before she caught herself. "The alien space
station? Out in the middle of nowhere?"
    "It's not in the middle of nowhere. It's an
important hyperspace rest point between the core worlds and the
Drax Outlier Worlds," Neil said quickly. "A very busy place, I
hear."
    "And still out in the middle of nowhere," Tish
said.
    "I know it isn't a planet, but it isn't a
small spaceship either," Neil continued. "It has several habitable
rings. Plenty of room to move around. And there are
jobs."
    Tish's hands clutched at the coffee cup, her
mind dredging up everything she'd ever heard about it. Including a
popular movie only a few months ago. "And it's alien. You know,
those ones that are extinct. Remember the movie? Oh, and did I
mention it's in the middle of nowhere?"
    "You want a place to live? This is it. They
are a part of the Free Trade Association, which means greater
tolerance for those with gifts. You would not be required to take
the drugs. With the ships going in and out every day, if you don't
like it you would be able to leave at any time." He glanced up at
her. "So, live free and in a different place, or planetary and hope
you can get off this rock before someone comes looking for