by Karen Kelley
“Yeah, I guess it would be pretty foolish to deny it.” She was funny. He liked that even if she didn’t realize she was being funny. There was a lot about her he liked. Trouble with a capital T. At least for him. He knew she wanted to find the cure so she could get it back to Nerak. Yeah, he’d miss her a lot.
She was quiet on the way to the restaurant as she stared out the window.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“That I like your night. The stars sparkle like our promise stones. There is a peacefulness about the darkness. We can dim our lights, but it isn’t the same.”
“Do you think you’ll ever get to return to Earth?” he finally asked the question that he already knew the answer to. Maybe he wanted her to make it final.
She shook her head. “No. Even if interplanetary travel was permitted, I wouldn’t be allowed to travel. It’s not in my DNA to explore. I’m a healer.”
“But you’re here now. Maybe you can come back to test other plants.”
“We have others who do that. I would only work with them when they returned. I’m only here to remove a step in the process. It won’t be necessary in the future.”
“Then we’ll never see each other again.”
“I’ll have regrets, too,” she admitted after a few seconds passed. “I’m not like Kia and Mala. My home is Nerak. My loyalty is to the Elders.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured as much.” He could feel her sadness at the thought of leaving. Maybe he just sensed it. That gut instinct thing again.
He wasn’t in love with Lara or anything. It was just that he liked being around her. There was something about her that tugged at his heart. He’d miss her a lot.
“I’ll miss you, too.”
His head jerked around. “Are you sure you can’t read minds?”
“Sometimes, I think I can hear your thoughts.”
“Me, too. Yours, that is. Odd, isn’t it?”
“We make connections with people who mean…who mean more to us than others, I think.”
“Do I mean something more to you?”
“For an Earthling, yes.”
He chuckled. “Go ahead, you can admit it. I mean more to you than you want to say.”
She sighed. “Yes, Sam Jones, you mean a lot to me.”
“Is it my good looks, my prowess in bed, or my great sense of humor?” He liked teasing her.
“No, none of that. It’s the fact that you didn’t kill the fish today that has endeared you to me.”
Okay, now that wasn’t a bit funny. “Is that the only reason?”
She laughed. “And no one thinks healers have a sense of humor.”
“I think you’ve been talking to Nick.”
They arrived at the restaurant. He hurried to her side as she was opening her door. “Here, let me.”
“I’m capable of opening a door now that I know how. I learned very quickly what is expected of me while I’m on Earth.”
“Sometimes, a man likes to do it.”
“Why?”
“Because they just do.”
“I accept your gesture.” She bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement.
He couldn’t resist. When she raised her head, he kissed her. Just a light brushing of his lips across hers, but it sent fire through his blood. Her pupils dilated, telling him she felt the power of that one touch just as much as he did. It was nice to know that he made her want him.
“Come on.” He took her elbow, but then let go. He wanted this night to be special.
“You may touch me.”
She had her nose up in the air, but he noticed it wasn’t as high as it used to be. And again, he could almost sense her thoughts. “I think you want me to.”
“Maybe you’d be right,” she said without missing a step.
He grinned when he took her arm again. They walked in the restaurant. It was dimly lit, the atmosphere romantic with candles flickering on the tables.
“Welcome to Land’s End,” an older, gray-haired woman said. “Are there only two in your party?”
“Yes,” he said, but his gaze was on Lara as she looked around, her eyes as big as they were the other night at the casino.
“This way.”
They followed her to a small table in the corner. It didn’t take Sam long to notice the way everyone in the room watched Lara. She was a strikingly beautiful woman. He couldn’t blame them for staring.
“Your waiter will be with you in a moment. Enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you.” Sam held the chair out for Lara. She sat down, then he went to his.
A waiter came over, looking very starched and formal in his black pants, crisp white shirt, and black jacket. “Welcome to Land’s End. Would you like to start off with a glass of wine?”
“No!” they spoke at the same time.
Startled, the waiter stepped back.
“We’re allergic to wine. Both of us,” Sam quickly told him.
“That’s not exactly true,” Lara told the man. “It makes me horny, and we have sex many times before I feel satisfied, and Sam gets very sore.”
“Uh…” The waiter looked between them, his face turning a bright red. He cleared his throat. “I’ll just get some water then.” He hurried away as if the restaurant was on fire and he was the only one who knew where to find the extinguisher.
“He seemed nice.” Lara smiled.
It was all Sam could do to keep a straight face. Damn, he really liked this restaurant a lot. Too bad he wouldn’t be able to set foot in here again.
“Yes, he seemed nice.”
She frowned. “Did I do something wrong?”
“He’s only dazzled by your beauty.”
“Of course.”
The waiter returned to the table with a bottle of water and poured them each a glass before he handed them menus. “May I suggest the grilled salmon with a lemon dill sauce? It’s a specialty of the chef.”
“What’s salmon?” Lara asked.
“No, uh, she has allergies,” Sam quickly said. “How about the rice and vegetables and baked potatoes, and I’ll have the same but add a nice juicy steak.”
“Very good, sir.”
“Are they going to murder another animal so you can eat it, Sam?”
How could she look so damned innocent when she asked him that? He drew in a breath. This was her night. He glanced at the waiter, who was looking very snitty if you asked him.
“Just bring me what she’s having.”
He raised an eyebrow. “No steak, sir?”
Okay, he was getting real tired of all the condescending people in the world—or any other world, for that matter. “You want a tip or not?” he countered.
The waiter scooped up the menus and quickly departed.
“I don’t suppose they have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”
“I think you’ll like this.”
“It’ll be hard going back to food capsules.”
“Maybe you can talk to the Elders about introducing real food.”
“Maybe.”
“What if you don’t find a cure?”
/>
“I’ll still return. The Elders set a time limit. If the specified time has completed and I still don’t have a cure, then I’ll leave.”
He went still. “You didn’t say anything about having to leave at a certain time.”
“I didn’t think it mattered. After all, if I found a cure, I would’ve left anyway.”
“When?”
“In three of your Earth days.”
He drew in a shaky breath, not realizing her leaving would affect him this much. He’d just assumed they’d have a lot longer. “That soon?”
“You’re upset.”
He shook his head. “No, just surprised.”
He leaned back in his chair, but he couldn’t relax. A band had assembled on stage, and they began to play a slow song. He stood, reaching out with his hand. “Come on, let’s dance.” He needed to hold her, to feel her head against his shoulders.
“But I’m not a dancer. It’s not in my DNA. I…I can’t.”
“It doesn’t have to be a part of your DNA or anything. If you want to do it, Lara, just do it. Come on, I’ll show you. You’ll have fun.”
She hesitated, then stood, taking his hand. He led her to the dance floor, then turned and took her in his arms. Her skin felt warm to the touch, and she smelled so damn sweet. And she trembled.
“Just move with me. That’s all you have to do. It isn’t a big deal.”
“People are watching,” she whispered. “Do they expect us to perform?”
He smiled. “No, they just like looking at a beautiful woman, and you’re very beautiful.” He held her close, breathing in her essence, knowing it would have to hold him for a lifetime. Three days? Man, it wasn’t nearly long enough.
Ah, damn, when had he started to care? He knew the answer—the minute he’d seen her. But she couldn’t stay. He really had rotten luck sometimes.
The song ended all too soon. He stepped back. “You dance beautifully, even if it isn’t part of your DNA.”
She was smiling, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I enjoyed that very much. This would be fun to introduce also.” Just as quickly, her smile was gone. “I don’t think it will be the same, dancing with our companion units.”
He didn’t much care to think about Lara dancing with her companion unit, even if he was a damned robot. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t much care for her companion unit at all.
The food arrived as they sat back down. Two steaming plates of vegetables on a bed of wild rice with a stuffed baked potato on the side.
“It looks good,” Lara said as she sniffed. “And it smells good, too.”
He looked at his plate. What he wouldn’t give for a steak right now! He glanced across the table at Lara and realized some things were just worth giving up.
“It isn’t a dead animal, is it?” She moved a carrot around on the plate.
“No animals were injured, maimed, or killed during the preparation of this plate of food.”
She sighed with relief. “Good.”
He watched as she took a bite and chewed. For a moment, she closed her eyes as she savored the taste, a look of rapt enjoyment on her face. She opened her eyes and smiled.
“This is better than the little trees you served the other night.”
“I never claimed to be a good cook, only a decent one,” he said.
“That’s true.” She dug into the baked potato. “What’s the orange stuff on top?”
“Cheese.”
“I like cheese best of all, and the stuff that’s melting is very good also.”
“Butter.”
He noticed the lights flickered as she ate. They did that a lot when she experienced pleasure. He would need to be careful so she didn’t draw attention to herself.
The waiter removed the dishes. “Would you care for dessert?”
“The check, please.” Sam reached in his back pocket for his wallet.
“Dessert?”
Great. They didn’t need a light show in here.
“Yes, ma’am. Tonight we have bread pudding with a raisin and rum sauce, pecan pie, or death by chocolate cake with fudge sauce.”
“Chocolate? Yes, I want that.”
“To go,” Sam quickly spoke up.
“Yes, sir.” The waiter bowed slightly and left.
“You’ll enjoy it a lot more at the cabin.”
“And soda.”
Now she’d confused him. “Soda?”
“You said you would buy soda for me to drink.”
Ah, he’d forgotten that. “We’ll stop on the way home.”
He paid the check and took the box the waiter handed them, noticing Lara eyed the white Styrofoam as if it contained the crown jewels. He didn’t know how she’d last on Nerak without her beloved chocolate. He had a feeling she’d survive missing him a lot easier.
“I can have the death by chocolate now?” she asked when they were in the pickup.
“Not long. There’s a store right down the road, and I’ll grab some sodas.”
“It smells very good.”
He turned a corner and parked in front of the store. He started to get out but thought better of leaving her alone with the chocolate dessert.
“Come with me. Someone from Nerak should see at least one store while she’s here on earth.”
She looked longingly at the white box before getting out. It was just a small convenience store, but he knew they’d have soda.
They went inside, and as he went to the back, Lara wandered the aisles looking at the products on the shelves.
“Sam!”
He was just reaching into the refrigerated unit when he heard her cry out. He let the door slam shut as he raced to her side. Man, he shouldn’t have left her alone. If some man had hit on her…
But she was alone.
“What?”
“I found the cure.”
“What?”
“I’ve found the cure for the Elder.”
Chapter 23
“I ’ve T’ve found the cure for the Elder,” Lara repeated almost to herself as it finally sank in. Relief…and sadness washed over her. She would have to leave Sam, and Earth. In a few hours, this would all be a distant memory.
“What?” Sam asked. “How could you find a cure in here? I thought you had to test plants.”
She held out the small box for him to look at. “See, it says it relieves the symptoms of the common cold: nasal stuffiness, headache and fever, cough and congestion.”
“The Elder has a cold? You risked your life and traveled to Earth for a cold?”
Why did he seem so surprised? “Yes, the Earthling said he was dying because he had a cold. When the Elder became infected, we knew she would also die if I didn’t find a cure.”
She shook her head. It was an amazing discovery.
“It was right here all the time. Of course, I’ll have to test it—add the chemicals I brought from Nerak.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “But people don’t die from a cold, at least not here on Earth. They might feel as if they are, but they don
’t. I doubt the person from Earth actually meant he was dying.”
“It was another figure of speech?”
He nodded.
She shook her head. “Torcara won’t be happy. She might decide to vaporize the Earthling for causing so much trouble,” she said, speaking her thoughts aloud.
“Do you really think she’d do that?”
Now she’d worried Sam again. “A Nerakian figure of speech. I don’t think she’d zap him.”
“But you’re not positive.”
“Is anyone ever positive about anything?”
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed some more cold remedies for her to test, soda, and a bag of chocolate bars before going to the counter and handing the cashier a credit card.
They were silent on the way back to the cabin. The smell of the death by chocolate cake should’ve made her feel better, but it didn’t. Now she didn’t even have three days.
“What are you thinking?” he finally asked.
“That I have to leave.”
“But you said you had to test the remedies, right?”
“Yes, but I’ll know by morning. Once I am sure they work, I’ll leave.” The thought of never seeing Sam again, never seeing a deer or even a fish, never seeing the sunrise and the burst of orange and blue that came with it, never seeing any of the wonderful things Earth had to offer…
No, she couldn’t think like that. It was very dangerous and disloyal. She raised her chin and squared her shoulders. She was a healer, a Nerakian, a superior being. Her duty was to the Elders, to her planet. That was more important than what she felt for Sam and everything else.
“I have no choice,” she said, wanting him to at least try to understand.
“I know.” His sigh was audible. “But we have tonight.”
“Yes, we do have that.”
As he drove over the metal pipes, she realized they didn’t bother her as much as that first time. She could see how her cousin and sister would be able to stay on Earth. It wouldn’t be so very hard to adapt. Earth had much to offer.
