Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
He flashed me a huge smile. “I wanted to ask you the same thing, but I was worried you’d think we were moving too fast.”
“No way. I love you, and I want us to be together. It’s that simple.”
“That’s exactly how I feel. We’re going to have a lot to figure out, in terms of our jobs and your new, incredible powers. But this is a given.”
I kissed him and rested my forehead against his. “As far as my powers go, all I know is that I’m going to use them to help people, like my mother before me. I don’t know how, exactly, but I’ll figure it out.”
“We will,” Andy said. “I’ll be there to support you every step of the way, because we’re a team.”
The superpowers were nice and all, but that truly made me feel invincible.
EPILOGUE: ANDY
Two Months Later
North Beach was just waking up as I slowed from a run to a walk and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. The smell of baking bread wafted from the Italian bakery, which made my stomach grumble.
As I rounded a corner, the sunny yellow house I shared with my boyfriend came into view. I’d moved in right after we returned from Oregon. Sam felt like home to me, so it had been an easy transition.
When I got inside, I kicked off my shoes in the foyer and stuck my head into the living room to look for Sam. He wasn’t there, but what I saw made me smile. We’d been finding furniture one piece at a time in consignment shops, and our home was coming together. It was definitely eclectic, between the royal blue sofa, the art deco coffee table, and the mismatched club chairs, but it was joyful, too.
On my way down the hall to the kitchen, I gathered a parade of hungry cats. When I’d moved out, Mom and Julie and I decided to split the menagerie between our two households—more or less. They hadn’t wanted to part with many of them, so Sam and I had only ended up with five.
“It’s not time for breakfast,” I told them. “I’m just up early.”
Sam was in the kitchen getting the coffee going, and his face lit up when he saw me. “Hi babe,” he said, as I crossed the room to him. “How was your run?”
“Good. I had some energy to burn, so I added a couple of miles to my route.”
When I reached him, Sam pulled me close and kissed my forehead. I grinned and wrinkled my nose as I told him, “I’m all gross and sweaty.”
“I know. I totally regret kissing you.” He tried to say that with a straight face and failed.
I chuckled and turned to the refrigerator, which we’d recently decorated with a new batch of photos. Some were of just the two of us. In others, we were with Moira and Qian, and Mom and Julie. Most recently, we’d added a picture of us with Arden, from when he’d visited us the weekend before.
I opened the fridge and grabbed a carton of eggs, which Sam immediately plucked from my hands. “I’m making you breakfast,” he informed me. “Sit down and relax.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. It’s your first day back at work, in a new department. It’s a big deal.” He sidestepped a meowing orange cat named Cecil as he said that.
“No, it’s not.”
“Of course it is! You’re a big shot now, with the security clearance to prove it. Not just anyone gets to work in SPAM’s secret archives.”
“But as you know, I only took the job on a temporary basis. I’ll admit though, I’m a little nervous. I have no idea what to expect.”
“Well, I’ll be right downstairs in the lecture halls if you need me.”
“I’m happy about that, and it’s a big day for you, too. How are you feeling about starting SPAM’s superhero training program?”
He shrugged. “Good, I think. It’s no secret I’ve had a lot of misgivings about SPAM, but this feels like the right call. They were there for us when we needed them, and I won’t forget that. Plus, you’ve got to love a paid opportunity to hone my skills.”
Once his training was done, we were going to decide our next step. He could either stay with SPAM, or go out on his own, in which case I’d go with him. The two of us were a team, after all.
I turned my attention to the five cats that were meowing and teeming at my feet. With a sigh, I opened a cabinet and started scooping food into their bowls as Sam pointed out, “You’re a total pushover when it comes to those little fuzz heads.”
“Like you’re not? Don’t think I didn’t see you sneaking them extra treats after dinner last night.”
He flashed me a smile. “Okay, maybe. But who can blame me? Look how cute they are!” He scooped up a grey cat named Roscoe and kissed the top of his head before putting him down again.