Stars Dancing [Dreams-To-Lovers Romance]

RORY

"So, what did she look like? Blonde hair?"

"Yeah. Thin and wispy, as girlie as you can get, like a princess who spends time on her hair and makeup, but not overdone. Gentle features, and big, kind blue eyes the color of midday sky in summer."

This didn't sound like someone my best friend had just glanced at before darting away in a flustered rush. "And did she say anything, Rhianne? No 'thank you' or anything?"

"I think she was too shocked." A startled little laugh sprang from her, "And there was all this mist floating around her. I mean, how crazy is it to be walking on the sidewalk and then fall on your ass just before the air turns to fog all around you?"

Giggling, my normally put-together friend was giggling, then she broke off, grabbing my arm, and I saw what had stopped her.

Before us was a blonde woman who did look like some sort of angel in a big, pale grey coat with a cream-colored knitted hat and red scarf bundled around her face. As she turned and saw us, her eyes widened in surprise.

"You!" she said in shock.

Rhianne waved, and I trundled forward, "Hey, nice to meet you, I'm Rory."

The woman's eyes darted back and forth between me and my best friend, so I decided to keep going, "Nope, I'm not with her, I've got a choclate drop of a man waiting at home for me, and this is Rhianne, my best friend."

The more I spoke, the softer the woman's face became.

"Suzette," she said, crossing her palms over her chest and nodding her head slightly. Now, that was something I recognized!

"You must be from Trauton 4! My Aunt and Uncle do that same greeting from their home world. No way, are you a dancer?"

Susette glowed, "Wait a second, you know Trautons? Here? I haven't met anyone who knows anything about it. I can't believe this! Yes! Yes, I'm a retired troubadour from Trauton 4, and I came here because of my Talent! This is so amazing!"

I could feel exasperation rising in Rhianne, so I sent her calming feelings of patience. If she was gonna be tongue tied (and I understood why she was, Susette was beautiful and sweet and had the mental openness of someone with a pure and loving heart), then I was gonna keep going until we figured out how to turn this meet cute into something more.

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"Are you on your way to work or anything, Susette? Do you have time to hang out?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm off today, and forgot to get cocoa at the market, so I was gonna run out. I'm baking, and need—"

"Did you get the cocoa already? Or, I can help you. What're you making?" Rhianne interrupted. Good; perfect! I could make up an excuse . . .

"Actually, I need to grab some cocoa powder, so that's where I'm headed, and then I need to make three dozen cupcakes for my co-worker's son's birthday tomorrow. Are you any good at baking? I could use an extra set of hands."

And that's how it started, but it didn't end with cupcakes. There were lemon bars and oatmeal cream pies. Chocolate covered strawberries and marmalade tartlets. Susette's sweet tooth wasn't exactly compatible with Rhianne's love of all things athletic, but they made it work, and I got to have half of my mornings free of HIT exercise so we could drink coffee and taste Susette's latest creations.

That winter turned out okay, and not just because of all the mornings filled with coffee and baked goods; it was that our lives just kept getting filled with more and more people to love.

Susette's Chocolate Mousse (Dairy Free)

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE MOUSSE:

3 cups raw cashews

10 pitted, dried dates

4 cups water

1/2 cup raw cacao powder

FOR THE CRUST:

2 cups nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or macadamia are all great)

5 pitted, dried dates, torn into pieces

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put the cashews, 10 dates, and water in a large bowl and allow to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Make the crust: Add the nuts, 5 dates, and cinnamon to a high speed blender. Pulse until they are the texture of crumbs.

Scoop the crust into bowls and pat down with the back of a spoon.

Make the mousse: Add the soaked cashews, dates, water, and cacao powder to the blender and process until smooth.

If needed, scrape down the sides. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a tablespoon of water at a time until you can get it the consistency of mousse.

Spoon the mousse over the crust, refrigerate, and enjoy.

VARIATIONS:

Easily turn this into chocolate cheesecake by adding probiotics to the mousse when you blend it. Open a capsule of 15,000 cfu probiotics, put the powder in the blender, and discard the capsule.

Once you add the chocolate filling to the crust, cover with a paper towel or cheesecloth and leave it in the refrigerator for 2 days to culture. It will begin to taste tart like cream cheese. DO NOT COVER IT WITH A LID, or your probiotics will die. They need to breathe.

Non-chocolate: substitute some of the water with pomelo juice for a fruit variation. Or just add a little vanilla bean for a plain cheesecake. Get creative and enjoy it!