Miranda in Retrograde

15. Scorpio Season

SCORPIO SEASON

With the Moon in Cancer, don’t be surprised to find yourself in a domestic kind of mood today, dear Gemini. You may even discover previously untapped maternal or paternal urges. Explore them, but use caution: the Sun in Neptune opposition may make it difficult to discern fact from fiction.

That was super good, Dr. Reed. Thank you,” Kylee says, pushing her plate away with a contented sigh.

The fact that her plate is scraped clean slightly soothes the memory of earlier this afternoon, when several near disasters in the kitchen had me worrying if I was destined for a lifetime of cooking for one.

Or two, if you count Archer’s continued dedication to clearing out my leftovers.

“It was super good,” Christian says, smiling at me across the table. Like Kylee, his plate is clean, though unlike Kylee, he’s managed to keep the majority of the penne alla vodka sauce off his shirt.

“I’m glad you liked it. I admit, I had a bit of a last-minute scramble with the meal plan,” I say, finally relaxing enough to enjoy a bit of my wine. “My original plan was a roast chicken, mashed potatoes, that whole deal. But then I remembered that Thanksgiving is next week. The meals seemed a bit similar.”

“What are you doing for Thanksgiving, Dr. Reed?” Kylee asks politely.

“Just a quiet day at home,” I reply. “My parents are headed to Arizona to visit my grandmother, one brother decided to go to London, and the other is with his wife’s family.”

“That’s sad. All alone.”

“Kylee!” Christian chides.

“Oh, believe me, I’m good with it,” I say, smiling. “I like my own company, and I’ll get to see everyone at Christmas. Plus, traveling is such a pain next weekend. You two are braver than me.”

“When you meet my mother you’ll understand that you have it backward,” Christian says with a smile. “Saying no to her summons would have been the braver option.”

When you meet my mother. Not if .

Isn’t that… fast?

Though this—tonight’s dinner—had felt fast, too. Christian and I have been dating, casually, for all of a month, and here I am cooking for him.

And his daughter.

Still, this one had been easier to get on board with, because it had been Kylee’s idea, and even though it had been a pretty blatant attempt at maneuvering her father and me closer together, I hadn’t had the heart to say no.

And tonight has been fun. It has.

But meeting Christian’s parents?

That’s next level. I haven’t even slept with the guy yet. It’s been hard to explain, but as much as I like him, I just haven’t felt ready. Perhaps it’s because I like him? Because our charts indicate Christian and I are perfectly compatible, and thus everything seems to matter just a little bit more…

Kylee looks pointedly back and forth between her father and me and apparently decides she’s bored with us. “May I be excused to go stargaze?”

“Stargaze?” Christian repeats, startled.

“Dr. Reed does it from her roof. Right?”

I nod, but Christian is unconvinced. “I don’t know how I feel about you up on the roof, Ky.”

“ Please? I’ll be really careful.”

“It’s a clear night, which means my neighbor will be up there. He can keep an eye on her.” I say it a little hesitantly, because it feels way too soon to be weighing in in any way on parental decisions. But I’ve also gotten to know Kylee quite well during our tutoring sessions and know she’s neither clumsy nor reckless.

Christian blinks. “Your neighbor stargazes on the roof, too?”

“Eh, not really. He mostly draws.” I wave a hand. “It’s a whole thing.”

“Huh. Alright, let me go see what we’re dealing with, and then I’ll decide,” Christian says, pushing back his chair. He looks at me. “If that’s okay?”

“Sure, of course. I’ll start cleaning up.” I start to gather the dishes.

He points at me. “Don’t you dare. You cooked; I’ll clean.”

“Do you have a telescope, Dr. Reed?” Kylee asks excitedly as she pulls on her coat and zips it.

“Unfortunately, I do not,” I say with a bit of regret. “I had a beautiful one, but when I moved to Manhattan for school at NYU, there was just too much light pollution. Not to mention a lack of outdoor space. I donated my telescope to a science camp so someone could make better use of it. You can still see a few stars, though,” I continue. “The light from the city prevents any proper stargazing, but I’m excited to hear what you can identify just by using the naked eye.”

“Okay!” Kylee says, already bounding toward the stairs.

“Be right back,” Christian calls over his shoulder. “Remember. I clean.”

“Absolutely,” I agree. But the second I hear their voices heading up the stairs to the roof, I stand and stack the plates. I need something to do with my hands to keep my brain from going into overdrive, analyzing every moment of the evening so far.

I’m pretty sure it went well, but I’m out of my depth here with this homemaking thing, no matter what my horoscope says about my “domestic mood.”

As far as the untapped maternal urge, I can’t deny that I’ve felt an unfamiliar longing in that direction as well. The more time I spend with Kylee, the more I realize I enjoy children. Enjoy her.

And her dad, too. Christian is…

Every bit the Prince Charming he’d seemed that first day on the sidewalk.

He’s polite. Charming. An effortless conversationalist. There’s an easiness with him that is exceedingly pleasant. He even seems to be a wonderful father; Kylee clearly adores him.

But there is maybe just the tiniest part of me that can’t stop wondering:

Am I following my heart?

Or my horoscope?

Which is aggravating as hell, because the entire reason I even started the Horoscope Project was to access that other, untapped, or perhaps long-buried part of myself. But lately, Aunt Lillian’s parting warning before she’d gone to Florida is rattling in my head:

“Don’t trade one set of rules for another.”

The fact that Christian is a father only adds to the complexity. Kylee’s been quite clear from the beginning that she wants to find her dad a girlfriend, and while of course nothing’s been said explicitly this early in the relationship, Christian isn’t the kind of guy who would engage in a fling, especially not with his daughter’s tutor…

I turn away from the sink to grab more dishes and jump when I see Christian in the doorway.

“Lurk much?” I say, shaking out my damp hands and wiping them on a towel.

“You mutter unintelligibly to yourself when you’re thinking,” he says, moving closer to me with a smile. “Did you know?”

“It’s been mentioned,” I say, smiling back as he wraps his arms around my waist. I loop mine around his neck, the gesture still not quite natural for someone unaccustomed to physical affection, but he doesn’t seem to notice or mind.

“Is it weird if I say I’m going to miss you while I’m at my parents’ for Thanksgiving?” he murmurs, brushing a soft kiss over my mouth.

“If it is, I like weird,” I reply.

“Hmm.” He kisses me again. “I scared you when I mentioned meeting my mother, didn’t I?”

“Not at all,” I lie, and he seems to believe me, because he pulls me closer.

“Good. Because I can picture you all too easily coming with me and Kylee to Oregon for Thanksgiving to meet my parents.”

“Oh. Wow.”

I stiffen, and he laughs. “Don’t worry, I don’t mean this year. I know we’re too soon for the meet-the-family thing. I just… I don’t know, I saw you here, and realized I was bummed about the fact that I wouldn’t get to see you this weekend.”

“I’m disappointed, too,” I say, forcing myself to relax.

“Alright,” he says, with one last kiss before stepping back. “So, here’s what we’re going to do.” He pulls me toward the table. “You’re going to sit and drink this delicious wine that I brought. I’m going to clean up. And you can reassure me that the moody guy on the roof doesn’t have a crush on you.”

I let out a genuinely started laugh. “Archer? Goodness. No. I’m not sure Archer even likes me. Or anyone,” I add after a moment.

“Do you like him?” Christian asks, giving me a faux-menacing look over his shoulder as he carries the serving dish to the sink.

“Depends on the day.” I smile. “But no, not like that. Besides, he’s got a girlfriend. Thing.”

“A girlfriend thing . Color me intrigued.”

I shrug. “I’m not really clear on the details. I think it’s some modern, nonexclusive situation? From the bare-bones details he doles out, she’s a high-profile agent who’s in Los Angeles most of the time, but when she’s here…”

He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“Yes,” I confirm. “I believe that’s how it works.”

Mostly I try not to think about it.

“Well, whatever works for him,” Christian says amiably. “Just as long as he doesn’t have eyes for my girlfriend.”

I’m still wiping some grated Parmesan off the table, but at that I pause. “Your girlfriend. Me?”

Christian laughs. “I was aiming for subtlety, but perhaps I was too subtle if you have to ask who I meant.”

“Sorry,” I say. “Like I said, I’m—”

“New at this, I know.” He wipes his hands on his pants and closes the distance between us, pulling me to my feet once more. “I’d love to be the one to help you be a little less new at relationships. If you’re interested.”

I think it over, then give a slow nod. “I’m interested.”

“Good,” he says in a satisfied voice, pulling me in for a kiss. And even as I try to lose myself in the pleasant sensation, I can’t help thinking about that Sun/Neptune opposition today.

The one that’s making it difficult for me to discern fact from fiction.