Alpha Star: Big Sky Alien Mail Order Brides #1 (Intergalactic Dating Agency): Intergalactic Dating Agency by Elsa Jade

wandered into the kitchen.
    Delaney turned from the 1950s stove to boggle at her, as if she was a chupacabra or an alien or something. “Zoe? What are you doing up so early? Or are you just getting home?”
    Well, good to know Del hadn’t heard her banging around with Sin—literally. “Thought I’d check out this ‘sunrise’ thing I’ve heard so much about.”
    Del rifled through the vintage kitchen tins lining the counter and stirred some raisins into the oatmeal. “What do you think?”
    Zoe helped herself to the herbal tea steeping on one back burner and slumped into the red vinyl booth breakfast nook. “A lot like a sunset but on the other side of the sky.”
    Laughing, Del brought two bowls to the table and slid into the booth across from Zoe. “You are so like your brother.”
    A darting look at her wide-cheeked face revealed only amusement and affection, none of the sorrow that had seemed so indelible after Will’s death. With his deployments, they’d had even less than a year together, but somehow they’d been perfect in that short amount of time.
    Zoe smiled at her. “He’d be horrified to hear you say that.”
    Del shook her head. “It’s how I knew you’d be a good roommate. With the exception of the morning growly thing.” She clinked her mug of tea to Zoe’s.
    They ate in silence for a few minutes, the light in the window beside them brightening.
    “Are you guiding this morning—” Zoe started at the same time Delaney said, “Actually, I’m glad you’re up early because—”
    They laughed. “You first,” Del said.
    “I was wondering if you have clients this week. Tish is going up to the cabin for a few days, and she invited us to come along.”
    “Oh.” Del stirred her oatmeal. “That was nice of her. I actually cleared my calendar for a bit.”
    Zoe peered at her sister-in-law. Del usually loved going out to the cabin to commune with nature, as if she didn’t get enough of that while leading her fly fishing expeditions. Was her lack of enthusiasm another symptom along with Tish finding her up late staring at the stars? “Everything okay?”
    “Oh sure, yeah.” But she kept stirring.
    “So,” Zoe drawled out the word. “Why are you glad I’m up early?”
    “I was going to talk to you about it before, but…” Del shrugged and abandoned the oatmeal. “It seems silly.”
    “Like good Monty Python silly?” They’d binge watched the DVDs a few weeks ago. “Or bad B monster movie silly?” Zoe nudged Del’s knuckles. “Really, though, I’m fine with either one.”
    A flash of a grin was quickly gone. “More chick flick silly, I guess.” She pulled her mug of tea closer to her chest. “It’s been almost two years.”
    November would be the anniversary of Will’s death. Zoe swallowed, the oatmeal stuck in her throat. “Yeah. How are you feeling?”
    “I don’t know. Not good, exactly. That wouldn’t be right.” She frowned at her tea. “But…”
    In the awkward silence, Zoe reassured her, “Any way you feel is—”
    “I’m dating again.”
    Although she knew her eyebrows had jumped up too far, Zoe kept her tone chipper. “I think that’s great. Who is he?”
    Del’s grip on her mug eased. “Well, nobody yet. But I decided I’m going to.” She pursed her lips. “I signed up for a dating agency.”
    A niggle of unease made Zoe push back in her seat. “A dating agency? It’ll be tough to get an app to work out here, but since you’re out of the valley a lot of the time, I’m sure it’ll work out fine.”
    Del shook her head. “It’s not an app. It’s real life… Well, I guess it’s real. I haven’t actually… It’s kind of weird.”
    Zoe tried to squelch her apprehension. Plenty of people used dating services. Probably even in little Sunset Falls. What were the chances… “Dating is weird.” She forced out a laugh.
    “Yeah.” Del angled her face toward the window. “It’s just, I thought I’d be with Will forever, so I never