Chapter 8
Thursday was finally here. In just a few hours Bella would be seeing Taylor Swift, so it had been a light day at NASA, which included a long call between Luis back at Bella Pelle and the NASA chemists - to allow time to get ready and get to the show on time.
There was sure to be a ton of traffic, and rather than have to mess with parking she’d be taking an Uber to the show, which should be picking her up at any moment.
The show wouldn't be as long as the three hour Eras shows had been, but she knew she’d be on her feet the whole time, so she’d brought the cutest red sequin tennis shoes, and was wearing them with low rise boyfriend jeans, a fitted silk silver cami, and a white jacket.
Her trusty watch and friendship bracelets completed the outfit.
Light makeup and her red lip, but this time a sleek, sheer gloss.
Arriving at the stadium, she made her way up to the NASA suite.
Watching the show from there wouldn’t be the same as watching from down on the stadium floor, but the tradeoff was a dedicated bathroom with no long lines, a bar, food in the suite, and the extra bonus of air conditioning.
Some of the group she’d met during the week would also be there, with their families, so at least it wouldn’t be a room full of strangers.
Opening the door to the suite, she stepped in, ready for a fun night.
Jack clocked Bella the moment she walked into the suite. He hadn’t seen her again after the morning meeting yesterday; he knew her time at NASA was ending tomorrow, so he was pleasantly surprised to see her tonight - the night suddenly got a lot more interesting.
Bella glanced around the suite and noticed Jack standing near the bar. Sending him a tentative smile, she made her way over - he was the only face she recognized, and while she didn’t have a problem in groups of strangers, a familiar face was always nice to see.
"I didn't expect to see you here tonight," they said in unison, and then both at once: "Jinx!"
They laughed.
Bella took in Jack in his street clothes: dark fitted jeans, a grey henley, and a Breitling Cosmonaute watch.
She approved. And a wrist full of friendship bracelets.
How is it possible he looks even better out of uniform than he does in it?
His hair makes me want to run my fingers through it.
Where is all this coming from? she thought.
“I didn’t take you for a Swiftie, Captain.”
“I’m Jack tonight, we aren’t on duty. And I’m a Swiftie Dad, I’m here with my daughters. They made me these.” he replied, holding out his wrists so Bella could read them - one said ‘Astro Daddy’ while the other spelled out ‘Space Cowboy’.
“Cute. And please call me Bella.” She felt something deflate quietly inside her.
She hadn’t realized Jack was married. She didn’t see a wedding band, although that didn’t mean anything - many men didn’t wear them.
Oh well. Better to find out now rather than later.
Wait? Why did that even matter, I’m not remotely even interested in him like that.
“Dad, Dad, look at all the bracelets we got!” Two young girls came bouncing over, in that way that only teen girls can do.
“Wow, that’s quite a haul. Have you been giving some away too?”
“Duh dad, that’s the whole point of them - exchanging and making friends.” One of them rolled her eyes at Jack.
“Girls, I'd like you to meet Ms. Genovese. She’s working with NASA; she made those lipsticks I gave you the other day. These are my daughters, Sloane and Piper.” Both girls had blonde hair and green eyes. They must look like their mother, thought Bella.
“Hi Sloane, Hi Piper, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Have you seen Taylor in concert before, or is this your first show?”
“We saw her on the Eras Tour, it rocked!”
“It did, didn’t it? I saw two shows on the Eras Tour - Night 3 in Arlington, and then Night 5 in London with my daughters - that one was a rain show! We had so much fun. I can’t wait for the surprise songs tonight; I’m hoping I get one of my favorites.”
Jack watched his daughters interact with Bella, and noted how at ease Bella was - he supposed being a mother to her own girls it came easy to her, but it was still nice to see; other than their teachers and neighbors, they didn’t get a lot of interaction with adult women.
"I'm wearing the shade you made — what do you think?" Sloane turned with an exaggerated pout.
“Oh, it looks good on you. That’s one of our upcoming shades we are releasing in a few months.”
“What’s it going to be called, so I know what to look for when it comes out?”
“We haven’t got a name for it yet. You know we name all of our Color Crayons after women; do you have a suggestion for me?” Bella smiled at the girls.
“I like Susan. For my mom.”
“Would you like me to send you a few more samples of this so your mom can have one of her own? Is she here with you tonight?”
“Our mom died a few years ago, in a car accident.”
Jack watched Bella’s face, seeing the emotions cross her face in real time.
He looked at Sloane and Piper’s earnest faces staring at Bella, waiting for her answer. He hoped the girls wouldn’t be disappointed; he knew Bella’s company leaned towards naming the crayons after famous women and family members.
“Susan is an amazing name, and I would be honored to name that color after your mom. I bet she was amazing too.”
“Woo Hoo! Thank you Ms. Genovese!” they cried out, jumping up and down with excitement.
“C’mon, Sloane, let’s go get some popcorn before the show starts”, said Piper, and they walked across the suite to where the food and snacks had been set up.
“Thank you. You don’t have to do that,” Jack said quietly.
“I meant it. It’s an honor. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Feeling the need to get the vibe back to something more in keeping with a concert, Jack asked Bella if he could get her something from the bar.
“I’d love a Dirty Martini if they make them. Two Olives please.”
“I’m sure I can rustle something up for you.”
Returning a few minutes later with their drinks — Bella's martini and a neat Laphroaig for Jack — they found a quiet spot at the back of the suite with the other adults, while all the kids gathered towards the front of the suite, waiting for the opening act to come on. Bella asked Jack about his work, and he happily started to talk about the simulations they did daily, the classes with the different departments, and the training with the other crew members. Realizing he’d been going on for several minutes, he paused and looked at her — pleased to find her still paying attention, interested in what he was saying - her eyes hadn't glazed over even when he'd gone technical.
“I’m sorry, I can go on and on about this.”
“No, I really enjoyed hearing about it, Captain, it’s such a fascinating subject.” Bella replied.
“It’s Jack tonight, remember?” he said, glancing down and smiling at her.
Jack wasn’t particularly tall - he stood five-foot eleven, perfectly standard for a pilot and astronaut, but Bella at five foot three was petite enough that he felt considerably taller than usual.
She also made him feel protective. Masculine. Where did that come from?
Bella looked up at him and smiled. She wasn’t lying - she had enjoyed him talking about NASA and the work he did there.
The passion he had for his work was so refreshing.
And attractive. Not that he needed any help in that department.
That salt and pepper hair looks soft; I want to run my fingers through it. Where did that come from?
Finishing up their drinks, Jack took their empty glasses back to the bar and returned to her side.
Placing his hand on the small of her back, he guided her around the suite, introducing her to the others.
He’s a natural leader; it’s no wonder he was chosen as the commander - he’s got that air of quiet authority about him.
Jack looked around the suite and saw more than a few eyes had drifted their way — particularly from some of the wives.
He clocked his own hand still resting on the small of Bella's back and dropped it immediately. Damn.
The show clock on the screen behind the stage stopped and a great cheer went up.
Taylor favored having new artists open her shows, and Bella was aware of the pop singer, Darcy Reign, who’d be on the bill tonight.
She loved all kinds of music, but she leaned more towards hard and classic rock, so she hadn’t heard much of Darcy’s stuff.
It was still daylight when Darcy hit the stage, and she was well received, with the crowd singing along to the big hit she had recently released, and all the kids in the suite seemed to enjoy her set.
After playing for 30 minutes, she left the stage and the road crew began the job of removing Darcy’s band's gear and setting up for Taylor.
Bella knew from experience how much work went into a production this size — the crew working silently and efficiently, making the monumental look effortless.
“Would you like another martini?” he asked. He realized he hadn’t left her side all night, and he knew it was going to cause tongues to wag, but he didn’t care - he was having a good time for a change.
“I normally only have one, but it’s a special night, so why not? Sure, I’d love another one. I’m going to run to the ladies’ room quickly, I’ll be back.” Bella waited for her turn in the ladies, washed her hands, touched up her lip gloss, and returned to the suite to find Jack waiting for her.
“I don’t know if these are the good olives you talked about, but it’s all they have, so I hope they are okay,” he said as he handed her the drink.
“I’m sure they are great, thanks.” Taking a sip of her drink, Bella asked if Jack had ever been to Italy.
“No, I haven't, sadly, but I’ve always wanted to go. Do you go often?”
“I try to go for a few weeks each summer. We have a guest house on the property in Sicily that is always available for any family that wants to visit. It’s a gorgeous, peaceful place.”