Mail Order Mom, page 8
“You said these things don’t crash.” I gripped the edge of my seat.
He shook his head. “No, they don’t. Normally. But who knows what exactly happened that day? Apparently, Xavran wasn’t in the aircraft with her, but he got to the scene of the accident before anyone else did. She was in the last month of her pregnancy. The doctors only managed to save four babies.”
“Oh no...” I pressed a hand to my chest, to the spot where my heart ached for the captain. That explained his frown when he’d spoken about the birth of his children. Their birthday would forever be the day his wife and the rest of his children died. “This is horrible. But why did it happen? How did she crash?”
“I honestly don’t know. Xavran doesn’t speak about that. Ever. The records were never made public, either. But there are a lot of rumors.” He lowered his voice. “Some are worse than others.”
I leaned closer. “What do you mean?”
“Some say Xavran was more involved in his wife’s death than he wants everyone to know.”
“What? No.” I recoiled from him. “Do you believe that?”
He shrugged. “Like I said, these are just rumors. Personally, I suspect his late wife’s family are behind them. They never got along well with Xavran, and lately... Well, they aren’t allowed into his home. He only lets them see the kids on holidays and stuff.”
I thought about what he’d just said. This was shaping up to be a rather difficult situation.
“Did the captain love his wife? Do you know?”
“I believe he did. Some say he was madly in love with her.”
Fully absorbed by our conversation, I hardly noticed as the aircraft descended. Only when it jolted softly from the contact with the ground, I realized we’d landed.
“Wow. That’s a lot to take in.”
“You don’t need to worry, Susanna,” Stefan assured me. “I wouldn’t let you stay and work for Xavran if I didn’t believe you’d be safe in his home. He’s a good man.”
A good man.
I wished to believe that with all my heart. But my heart had terribly misled me before. There once was a time when I believed Tom was a good man, too, that he was honest and incapable of stealing.
Opening the door panel on my side, I unclipped my seatbelt. “Has there been an investigation?”
“There has. The authorities deemed it an accident and closed the case,” Stefan replied, climbing out. “Like I said, you have nothing to worry about.” He opened the front gate for me but didn’t enter himself. “I need to go home for a couple of hours now to prep for dinner. It’s my turn to cook tonight. I’ll get back around lunchtime and take you grocery shopping. Okay? We’ll go to school early this afternoon. I want you to meet the kids’ teacher and the moms of their classmates. Between the four of them, they go on a lot of playdates.”
“Okay.” This was real. Classmates, playdates, other moms. All the things that came with a normal childhood. “Looking forward to it.”
Chapter 11
SUSANNA
I found Mara sitting at the giant table in the kitchen. The captain was nowhere around. The jug of Voranian wine stood open in front of her, a goblet clutched in her hand.
“Are you okay?” I came closer and propped my butt against the table.
She took a swig from her goblet. “Where did you go?”
“To take the kids to school.”
“Oh, right. I keep forgetting about the kids...” She slammed the goblet on the table with force. “I’m so fucking bored here. Where is the alien?”
“Who?”
“My husband.” She made a face, looking disgusted by the very sound of that word.
I smiled. “You know we’re on Aldrai now, right? Here, we are the aliens.”
“Whatever.” She waved me off. “So? Is he working the fields or something? Where is his farm, anyway? Is it big?”
For someone who studied the Aldraian lifestyle enough to know about the fish in their baths, Mara remained completely clueless about her own husband. Granted, their marriage was just a sham, but we all were sharing the living space. We should make an effort to get to know each other a bit.
“He doesn’t have a farm,” I said.
She frowned. “Great. He doesn’t even have a farm.”
“He works on the frontier, in the desert. He drives a large piece of machinery, called a crozan—”
“Riiiight,” she drew out the word. “He’s a truck driver...”
“It’s not quite a truck he drives—”
“Whatever,” she cut me off, hiding a yawn behind her hand.
I sat next to her at the table. “Listen, the captain is not a bad person. I enjoyed talking to him yesterday. He’s a good listener and an excellent cook.”
He also might have something to do with the death of his wife, but I decided against telling her that. Stefan assured me those were just rumors. And Mara already held a hefty amount of animosity towards her unsuspecting husband.
“Maybe you could... You know...” I wasn’t sure myself what I wanted her to do. Be a little nicer to the captain? Did I want their marriage to become a little more real? Was it even possible, considering how completely different these two were? They really had no touching points on anything.
“What?” she prompted impatiently. “I’m not sleeping with him, if that’s what you mean.”
That was definitely not what I was getting at.
“You certainly don’t have to do that,” I said.
She yawned again. “If you like him so much, why don’t you sleep with him yourself?”
“That is not what I was talking about. At all.”
“Why not?” She rested her elbow on the table before dropping her head into her hand. “You obviously don’t find him gross. I know you haven’t gotten laid in a while. He probably has his urges, too, like all men do. If you fuck him, at least I won’t have to worry about him barging into my room to demand I fulfill my ‘marital duties’ or some shit like that.”
“What?” I exclaimed. “He would never do that!”
“How do you know? He may be playing hard-to-get with his ‘no-sex’ condition, but he seems very much interested.”
“Does he?”
“Of course he does,” she insisted. “He’s a man, after all. Didn’t you notice how he looked at you last night? I thought you were interested too. Wasn’t that why you made up all that drama with the fish in the tub?”
“I didn’t make it up!” Like I would make a fool of myself on purpose.
She squinted her eyes at me, suspiciously. “Why else would you run naked around him, then?”
“Oh God,” I groaned. “Was that how it looked like last night? Do you think he’d assume I was trying to seduce him or something?” My face turned hot at the thought.
She shrugged. “It’s not a bad move if you want to play that game. I thought for sure you hooked up last night.”
“I... No! We didn’t.” I sucked in a breath, getting up from my seat. “Trust me, I don’t want to play any games.” Either with my feelings or the captain’s.
But was she right? Could he really be feeling something for me?
“Suit yourself.” Mara emptied her goblet then stared inside it, as if hoping to find more wine in it somehow. “If I was even remotely attracted to that alien oaf, I would let him fuck me. What else is there to do in this shithole, anyway? You may as well have some fun.”
I fidgeted with the edge of my blouse. The idea of the captain finding me in any way attractive didn’t feel unappealing. Not at all. Though it probably should feel inappropriate, since he was my employer. Oh, and my legal brother-in-law too.
“He is your husband,” I reminded Mara.
“Oh, please,” Mara groaned. “Stop saying that. I’d be just too happy if you took him off my hands, like I wanted you to all along. Honestly. Where is he, anyway?”
“I didn’t see him this morning, but Stefan said he went to his office.”
“Who’s Stefan?”
Right, she hadn’t met him yet.
“He’s Captain Rax’s nanny.”
“A male nanny?” She scoffed. “Well, that’s even worse than a truck driver.”
Irritation spiked in me at her quick judgment. She reached for the jug to refill her goblet, but I took it away from her. “Why don’t you go for a walk or something?”
“A walk where?” She rolled her eyes. “Is there a shopping mall or at least a coffee shop here?”
“I don’t know. I’ve only been to the school so far.”
She groaned dramatically, then shook the last droplets of white from her goblet on her tongue. “I’m going to die from boredom in this place.”
“Better than from decapitation,” I muttered, taking the jug back to the cold room. Two silver discs on the counter by the grill caught my attention. “What are these?”
“No idea.” She shrugged. “A drone dropped them off a while back.”
I picked up one of the discs. It was the size of a dessert plate, thin but with some weight to it.
“I wonder what it is?” I turned it in my hands.
“These are tablets.” The deep male voice came from the entrance to the kitchen. “For you and your sister.”
My heart skipped a beat at the sound of that voice.
The captain walked into the kitchen.
Thankfully, he didn’t look like he’d heard any of our conversation, especially that part about anyone sleeping with him or me trying to seduce him.
I chased those thoughts away and attempted to collect myself. He was my boss. My heart had no business making somersaults in his presence.
Mara pressed her hand to her chest. “Oh, you scared me. How did you manage to sneak up on us with your size and all that weight?”
He stared at her with a somewhat confused expression. “I wasn’t trying to sneak up on anyone. Didn’t you hear my aircraft?”
“We were talking,” I explained. “The Aldraian aircraft are pretty quiet. Morning, Captain.”
“Xavran,” he corrected, coming closer. “Ranks are only used at work on Aldrai.”
Oh, this wasn’t good. It might be easier for me to keep things professional if I thought of him as Captain Rax, my boss, not Xavran, the big guy who gives the best hugs in the world...
“I prefer captain—” I tried to protest, but he wouldn’t have any of that.
“But I don’t.” He stepped right up to me. “Say my name.”
Tingles rushed down my arms, either from the way he said it, or from how close he stood, or both.
I glanced at Mara. She wiggled her eyebrows, looking amused.
“Say it,” he insisted.
I raised my eyes to his. They were so impossibly dark, but when I looked closely, I could see the even-darker pupils in the middle. They were so dilated right now, they took over nearly the entire irises.
“Xavran...” I uttered in a half-whisper. My voice came out breathy, making his name sound intimate.
His throat bobbed with a swallow. His gaze remained on me, holding me prisoner. I couldn’t move a muscle. I couldn’t even blink.
“How does this thing work?” Mara’s voice sounded like a gunshot in a library, shaking me out of whatever spell Xavran’s dark eyes had put me under.
She was standing by the counter, flipping one of the discs in her hands.
When had she moved there from the table?
How long was I staring at Xavran?
And what the heck was the matter with me?
He calmly walked over to the counter and took the disc from Mara.
“Place your hand on it.” He waited for her to comply.
She spread her fingers, pressing her palm to the smooth surface. The disc lit up with a silvery gray light.
A pleasant, mechanical voice sounded, “Welcome, Mara.”
“Neat,” she giggled, perking up. “It knows my name. What else can it do? Does it have videos? Movies? Can I talk to people?”
“You can connect to my entertainment system.” Xavran showed her how to connect to his personal network and the available public networks. “This is the library of books and videos. Movies are here. The social net is here. The town news—”
“Great!” She grabbed it from him. “I’m in my room if you’ll need me, but I really hope you won’t.” She took off, leaving me one on one with him.
He took the second device from the counter.
“Is this one for me?” I asked.
He glanced at me briefly. “You wished to learn more about Aldrai. This should help. I requested the devices to be programmed to communicate in audio, so your translator will pick up the sound and convey the meaning to you.”
“Thank you. That was very thoughtful.” I didn’t expect him to act on what I’d said last night. He wasn’t obligated to fulfill my wishes, but I was grateful he did. Learning more about this place would make my life easier.
He took my hand in his, making my breath hitch.
“Just like that,” he said softly, placing my hand on the disc.
“Welcome, Susanna,” the device greeted me.
I smiled. “It works.”
“It does.” His voice sounded above me. He stood so close to me, my shoulder was pressed to his arm, his fingers still circling my wrist.
If I turned just a little, I could rest my head on his chest...
He cleared his throat again, making his chest vibrate. He then let go of my hand.
“How was your morning?” he asked, stepping away from me.
Maybe he was “interested,” like Mara put it, but he clearly chose not to pursue anything. All I could do was behave the same.
I released a breath, rolling back my shoulders. “Good. We went to school. Stefan showed me how to fly the aircraft—”
He snapped his gaze to my face.
“Always let the machine fly,” he said with emphasis. “Never try to do it yourself.”
Stefan had said that Xavran’s wife died in a crash. Just like me, he must have some misgivings about air travel too, now.
“I promise I won’t try to fly it myself. Stefan told me the same.” I nodded. “He’s taking me grocery shopping later.”
“Good.” He tipped his chin at the disc in my hand. “Do you need help with that?”
“Yes, please.” I handed him the device.
He went with me through the same things he’d shown Mara. He did it in the same way, too—polite but distant. There were no smiles, crooked or otherwise, from him this morning. He almost seemed on guard with me. I couldn’t figure out the reason for that change, but in the end, it was probably for the best. It would be easier for me to maintain a professional distance between us if he did the same.
“Stefan said you went to the office this morning?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t it be?” Yet his prominent brow ridges shifted closer together, forming a frown.
“You said you weren’t going back to work until the end of the month.”
“Right.” His jaw flexed. “Well, I went to see if they could schedule me in earlier than planned.”
“When?”
“Hopefully, in a few days.”
“Why so soon?” I couldn’t shake the feeling that it might have something to do with Mara and me being here. Did he dislike sharing his space with us?
He shifted his weight to another foot, somewhat awkwardly. “Seeing how well you’re doing, I figured you won’t be needing me here anyway.”
“But it’s only been a day.”
“I know...” He heaved a long breath. “That's all it took...” His gaze traveled to me again. There was wonder and confusion in his eyes, as if I were a puzzle he needed to solve. He blinked after a moment. “You’re doing great, Susanna. Stefan is only a call away. I’m still here too, for the next few days.”
“Sure. No worries. I’ll be fine. The kids and I, I mean,” I assured him. Because what else could I do? Cling to his leg to keep him from leaving? He couldn’t babysit me forever. My job was to help him, not the other way around.
Though his decision to leave earlier bothered me. Combined with his behavior this morning, it seemed strange. He looked tense.
Was it something I did?
Then I remembered literally jumping on him last night. Naked. And now, the man was fleeing his own home rather than continue sharing it with me. He must think I was an idiot, or worse—a sex-crazed woman who knew no boundaries.
I rubbed my forehead, searching for a way to apologize.
“I’m really sorry about last night,” I started. “I overreacted about the fish—”
He jerked his head up, giving me an odd look.
“It’s fine,” he said, slowly backing to the exit. “No need to apologize. I understand. It’s the fish.”
He turned to leave, and I noticed the back of his pants move, as if he had something hidden in there. Something long.
He left. But the tension lingered.
“Way to make things weird, Susanna,” I muttered under my breath.
Grabbing my disc, I went to my room. There was still some time before Stefan’s return. I could read or watch some videos about Aldrai to learn more about this world, so that I wouldn't nearly jump out of my skin when normal alien things happened to me again.
One thing I really loved here was my new bed. After the moldy couch in my basement back on Earth, the huge, comfy mattress under the canopy of the living trees felt like heaven. The fragrance of fresh grass and blooming flowers made it simply magical.
I stretched my legs over the silky covers and propped a pillow under my back, leaning against one of the trunks that served as the bedposts.
Scrolling through the blobs of the Aldraian language, I let the system read the titles and options to me, adding to a list the articles to read and videos to watch.
One section I found was titled “Adults Only.” Curiosity prompted me to click on it.
“Just a glance,” I promised to myself.
It contained a collection of what looked like sex videos, available through a public network.
“Well, since I’m already here...” I clicked on a video.
The first shot was of a naked Aldraian woman. Her long chestnut hair was unbound, streaming freely down her body. She had smooth, glowing skin the same color as her hair.
