Page 101 of Four Weddings and An Alien
Lucy sucked in a shocked breath. Elda whispered a swear word. Francine held her breath. None of the men said a word. As everyone turned to stare, the candles resumed their regular flame. Odd. But what else could she expect from an old justice building on the Ossuary Valerian Space Station asteroid? There were probably more ghosts here than anywhere else on this terraformed asteroid.
Unmoved by the candle display, the magistrate continued. “The couple will now exchange tokens to pledge their vows to each other.”
Francine and Raphael exchanged the violet diamond rings they usually wore, their ceremony nearly complete. Simple. Meaningful. Flawless. Just the way they wanted.
“I now pronounce you joined together in blessed matrimony. You may kiss your bride,” the magistrate said, smiling as he closed his book, seemingly unfazed by Francine’s request to close the ceremony with the traditional Earther kiss.
Raphael stared deeply into Francine’s eyes and kissed her tenderly for their first kiss as man and wife. Francine reveled in the sweet, yet sensuous caress of his lips.
When they parted, Raphael whispered, “I love you, Francine.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered back.
“By the power vested in me by the laws of this galaxy, I now introduce everyone to Mr. and Mrs. Boudreaux, Raphael and Francine.”
The assembled witnesses clapped as the newly minted couple turned to walk back down the aisle. The candles brightened and dimmed back to normal flame, one after the other as they walked from the platform to the doors.
Behind her, she heard Lucy say, “Ooh. Nice.”
Elda said, “Let’s hope they’re all friendly ghosts here.”
Francine looked forward to not only her honeymoon, but their return to Alienn, Arkansas, to begin their lives together.
A huge shakeup at the Supernova Supermarket meant she could return to her job there, too, head held high. Roberta the Gossip had quit rather stridently when the store was sold to a branch of the Grey family and noises were made about sending her to work in the office away from the customers. The oddball assistant manager, Mr. Petey, failed three leadership tests required by the new management, even one regarding Earther laws in Arkansas, and promptly refused the offer of a cashier job.
Diesel Grey and the rest of the clan in Alienn were surprised the day their cousins arrived en masse to take over the Supernova Supermarket. They were even more surprised to learn the Ashcraft family had bought a one-third share in the bauxite mine and planned to take a hands-on approach to both businesses. The Ashcrafts, their three sons and two daughters settled into Alienn and seemed ready to work hard.
After only the first day, Francine adored the new Ashcraft management team and agreed to continue her duties as night stocker. It didn’t hurt that they gave her a raise and a back-pay bonus she apparently should have had all along for working nights.
Raphael would be busy, too, with full-time contract employment with the Grey brothers in the Big Bang Truck Stop. He planned to do the occasional bounty-hunting gig when lucrative opportunities presented themselves. Cam and Diesel agreed wholeheartedly to his terms.
Francine and Raphael were staying at the small house they’d rented during their previous visit. At the small dinner after their nuptials, Raphael cautioned Elda not to break the door in or he’d have to bill her for the destruction. Elda only laughed and gave Raphael her wedding present—a gift certificate from an Earther hardware store in case repairs were required.
As they climbed into bed for the first time as man and wife, the candles Francine lit for ambience dimmed noticeably as they embraced and kissed.
“I see the ghosts followed us here,” Raphael said, sounding amused.
Francine shrugged. “I don’t care. Let them dim the lights as much as they want. I’m only interested in you.”
She kissed him. He kissed her back and neither of them noticed any illumination changes for the rest of the night.
