ON HER WAY THROUGH the settlement to the shuttle field, Cariad passed by one of the newly opened stores. It was a bakery, and the scent of freshly baked bread that wafted from it sent Cariad’s stomach into spasms. The half sandwich Verney had given her had barely put a dent in her hunger. She opened the door and went inside.
The sight of the interior of the bakery sent nostalgia rushing through Cariad. The place had been modeled in the style of stores she used to shop at on Earth, except that a person was there to serve. In Cariad’s time, the store’s system would read the customer’s embedded chip as they entered and registered whatever they took with them when they left.
Most of the shelves were empty but the island in the center of the shop was piled high with bread. A wave of remembran
