Chapter 3

3

Z hoel was still reeling slightly from the way Pearl Carson had whisked him into the house, saying something about arriving in time for dinner. He knew humans often conducted business dealings over a meal, so he’d agreed. Plus, the experience would help him inform his clients about what to expect if/when humans opened their homes to them. But he didn’t understand the tension thrumming across his Iki’i from members of the family. Lila was the only one who didn’t vibrate with distrust. Instead, mixed in with the threads of her curiosity, he thought he felt... desire?

He’d never felt such an intense attraction toward anyone, through his Iki’i or otherwise. Her chestnut-brown hair swayed with each step as she led him down a hallway, and he yearned to slide his fingers through those silky strands. To glide his palms over the lovely curve of her hips as they swayed ahead of him...

He clenched his fists at his sides, cutting off the direction of his thoughts. He’d interpreted the sensations from his Iki’i wrong too many times before, including one mistake that had cost his father an important client. And despite the unusually intense emotions he received from Lila, he would not pursue her unless she actively invited his attention.

Lila led him to a room with a massive table draped in a red cloth and surrounded by a dozen wooden chairs. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her hazel eyes catching the light in a way that made him suck in a breath. “Welcome to the Carson family dining room,” she said, moving toward a cabinet near a set of half-doors with slatted louvers that obscured the room beyond. “Can I pour you a drink?”

“Yes, thank you.” He surveyed the table, set with perfectly arranged plates painted with green and red patterns of flora. Twinkling lights outlined the window frames, casting a pale glow against the snow-dusted panes. “I’ve never been inside a human’s home. This is delightful.”

She chuckled. “It doesn’t normally look this way. Mom starts decorating the day after Thanksgiving and just keeps adding more throughout the month of December. You should see the house on Christmas morning.”

Garlands interspersed with red and gold ornaments draped haphazardly along the top of a glass curio cabinet holding small statuettes, and beside it a sideboard held a fan-like arrangement of flowers, bows, and baubles. It reminded Zhoel of the Florenk celebrations on his mother’s planet, where they would arrange B’laan fruit in elaborate patterns during festivals. The sight brought a surge of nostalgic delight.

“Does this Christmas morning happen soon?” He had briefly scanned Earth’s Internet for holiday dates, but it seemed humans were celebrating something almost every day of the year, and he hadn’t been able to make sense of the data. “I would be interested in experiencing your celebration.”

Lila’s shoulders stiffened. “Not for a few days.”

He swallowed, uncertain what his Iki’i was sensing. Did I overstep?

Before he could frame the question, Pearl entered and pulled out a chair. “Sit here, Zhoel, so you’ll be next to Lila. I’ll get you a plate.”

He sat, feeling awkward at being the only one at the table, but perhaps this was another custom he was not aware of. “Thank you.”

The sound of heavy boots stomping off snow echoed through the house, followed by a booming voice. “I’m home! Had to stop and dig these two out of a snowbank.”

“Grampa!” the children squealed from the other room, followed by the jumbled sound of females exchanging excited greetings.

“What is your mother feeding you two?” the deeper voice continued. “I can’t believe how big—” He cut off, followed by indistinguishable muttering.

A moment later, a man with salt-and-pepper hair and a well-trimmed beard entered the dining room, a child wriggling in each arm. Behind him trailed another male wearing a plaid shirt and a female with short brown hair and deep laugh lines around her eyes.

“Wow,” the woman said, an impish grin lighting her face. “This is going to be an interesting dinner.”

Pearl clapped her hands together, looking immensely pleased with herself. “Zhoel contacted me about something called a dating app. I couldn’t get the thing to work on my phone, but he mentioned being interested in transportation and travel, so I emailed him back to set up a date for Lila. She likes to travel.”

“Nana!” Lila gasped. “You signed me up for a dating app?”

“Well, you’ve turned down everyone else I suggested.”

Lila shot him an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, but I’m really not interested in romance right now.”

A sinking feeling filled Zhoel, not just over Lila’s confessed lack of interest in him, but in his hope of making a deal with the Carson’s company. This was all a misunderstanding. Pearl was trying to play matchmaker for her granddaughter and thought he’d been requesting a date.

He cleared his throat. “Actually, my dating app is?—”

But his explanation was cut short as Pearl excitedly began introductions. “Zhoel, this is my son, Adam.” She gestured to the bearded man. “And this is Lila’s Aunt Maggie and Uncle Richard.”

Adam thrust out a hand.

Deciding the best way to handle the entire fiasco was to play along until he could politely extricate himself, Zhoel mimicked Adam’s gesture as he’d been told was customary for humans. “Good to meet you.”

Adam clasped his hand and shook it firmly, his calloused palm still chilly from being outside. “Likewise. Welcome.”

The woman named Maggie took the seat next to Zhoel and leaned close. “Lila’s a lucky girl. I’ve heard about you blue aliens and your extra-terrestrial… ahem… abilities.”

“Aunt Maggie, stop,” Lila choked out, her embarrassment rippling across his Iki’i like a herd of tiny feet. She set a glass of golden liquid near his plate and sat down next to him.

“Abilities?” Zhoel repeated. Kirenai were strong and resilient, but he got the feeling Maggie meant something else entirely.

Maggie raised an eyebrow, then gazed pointedly toward his lap.

“Hush, you two!” Lila’s mom admonished from where she stood near one of the louvered doors, her features creased in alarm. “There are little ones present.”

“Don’t mind Diane. She’s a prude,” Aunt Maggie said and winked at Lila. “You can tell me about it later.”

Lila shot to her feet, face flushed a deep scarlet. “Mom, let me help you with the mashed potatoes.”

As they disappeared through a set of half doors, Zhoel returned his attention to the other family members, avoiding Aunt Maggie’s gaze.

Adam quirked an eyebrow and shrugged as if to say, ‘Welcome to the family,’ before pulling out the chair at the head of the table. “Zhoel, why don’t you tell us more about yourself? I met an alien once when I was in Tampa last year, but he was gray with wings, not blue like you. You look a lot more… human.”

Needing to resettle his nerves, Zhoel took a sip from his glass, finding the beverage sweet and somewhat floral. “It sounds like you met a Khargal. I’m Kirenai. You can always distinguish us because of our blue skin.”

“I heard Kirenai can make themselves look like any human they see,” Maggie said. “Is that true?”

Zhoel shook his head, glancing at the others before answering to be sure Aunt Maggie wasn’t going to get him into trouble. Reassured by their interested gazes, he said, “I can’t look like a specific human, but I can change my shape.”

The small boy bounced in his seat. “Show us!”

“Don’t be rude, Josh,” Sara said with a stern look.

“I don’t mind.” He once again made eye contact with Adam, and, after receiving a nod, held up his hand for the boy. His skin rippled and undulated, fingers shortening and curving inward to form a large pincer in place of his hand.

A gasp filled the room. “Well, I’ll be,” said Pearl.

Josh laughed with excitement while his younger sister squealed and buried her face in her mother’s lap. Both Adam and Richard leaned closer, their eyes wide with fascinated curiosity.

“Thank you for showing us,” Sara said with an edge to her voice, stroking her little girl’s head to comfort her. “Now, please change it back. You’re scaring my daughter.”

“Emily’s a big baby,” said Josh, which elicited wails of angry indignation from his sister.

“My apologies.” Zhoel quickly shifted his hand back to its human form. He flexed his fingers for Emily, proving that things were back to normal. Interacting with humans was more difficult than he’d imagined. He’d have to be sure to note that in his travel FAQs.

Lila and her mother returned from the kitchen carrying steaming dishes, and the savory aroma he’d noticed upon entering the house intensified.

“Here we go, everyone.” Diane announced, placing a platter at the center of the table. It held a reddish-brown meat and some orange root vegetables. Lila added a dish of something fluffy and white with a crater of golden oil at the top plus a dish of thin green vegetables.

Zhoel’s nostrils flared at the rich, mouth-watering aromas. Human food smelled unexpectedly delicious. Another experience his clients would love.

“Let’s say grace,” Diane commanded, sitting next to her husband and reaching for his hand.

Maggie grabbed Zhoel’s hand, fingers kneading slightly as if checking to see that his flesh was solid.

On his other side, Lila hesitated, glancing at him from beneath her lashes before offering her hand. He took it, tingling with awareness as their palms met. Her skin was soft and warm as he skimmed his thumb across the backs of her knuckles. Her eyes widened, and she sucked in a soft breath before quickly lowering her chin to her chest.

His Iki’i was oscillating between desire and discomfort. Can you blame her? Her grandmother had mistaken his intent and set her up on a date without telling her. Perhaps her emotions would steady once he clarified the misunderstanding.

The rest of the family joined hands, forming a circle around the table, and Adam intoned a prayer. “We thank you, Lord, for this food we are about to receive. We welcome our guest tonight, and ask that his journey be blessed. Let us cherish this time together as family, and remember the love that binds us all. Amen.”

“Amen,” echoed throughout the room.

Touched to be included in the prayer, Zhoel added his own, “Amen,” to the mix.

Lila quickly pulled her hand away and arranged her napkin across her lap, then reached for a serving spoon. “Is this your first time trying human food?”

“Yes,” Zhoel said, watching her place a brown slab of what he believed was meat on his plate.

She pointed to the various items. “Pot roast, carrots, mashed potatoes, green beans.”

Knowing she’d taken part in preparing the mashed potatoes, he sampled a bite, delighted by the rich, buttery flavor with a hint of earthy sweetness. “Delicious.” He smiled at her, loving the slight rise of color in her cheeks at the compliment. He sampled the pot roast and carrot, finding them equally intriguing, and praised Lila’s mother, which seemed to fluster her. She turned to help Josh cut bites of food while Sara helped Emily.

As the family ate, they chattered amongst themselves. Zhoel happily immersed himself in the feeling of family, enjoying a warm sense of belonging for the first time since his arrival. Then he remembered he wasn’t actually here to enjoy himself. It’s time to get down to business .

He looked around to be sure Pearl wasn’t watching, then lowered his voice. “Lila, I believe your grandmother may have mistaken the reason for my visit. I’m starting up a new dating and travel app to bring aliens to small towns on Earth. I was hoping to discuss a partnership with your transportation company to handle surface logistics.”

She blinked at him. “Wait. So you’re not here to date me?”

He held up one hand, suddenly fearful she might be offended. “Don’t misunderstand. I’m delighted and honored to spend time with you. I would definitely like to continue. However, I felt it was important to be honest about my original purpose here.”

Lila burst out laughing, a delightful sound that reminded him of happa leaves swaying together in the sun. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear that.” She leaned closer, eyes alight with interest, then glanced toward her mother. “Please tell me more about your proposal, but keep your voice down. Mom doesn’t like business talk during the holidays.”

As they ate, Zhoel spoke enthusiastically about his vision for the app, his ideas for how it could weave together the experiences of Earth and alien cultures while fostering connections and understanding. He loved seeing Lila grow more excited with every description. “I want to offer tours that provide the experiences of eating unique foods, taking part in local activities, and interacting with humans in more natural settings. A way to find prospective mates that goes far beyond the more formal galas offered by the Intergalactic Dating Agency.”

“That sounds amazing.” Lila smiled wistfully. “But our trucks transport freight, not people. I don’t think we can help you.”

Zhoel scratched his ear. He’d apparently mistaken the word transportation to mean travel. But he truly wanted to work with Lila. “You are familiar with travel across the planet’s surface, correct? What if I provide the appropriate vehicles?”

Her eyes lit with excitement once more. “I suppose our drivers could operate buses as easily as semis. And I would love to plan logistics for travel.”

“What’s this about driving buses?” Lila’s father asked.

Diane rose abruptly, eyes flashing in anger. “Lila, are you talking about the business again?”

“Now, Diane—” Adam started at the same time Lila said, “We’re on a date, Mom! We’re talking about our interests.”

Zhoel held his breath. Did Lila still consider this a date? Or was she only using that as an excuse to continue their discussion? Either way, he would help her in any way he could.

He turned to Diane with a warm smile. “Mrs. Carson, I assure you that Lila and I are just getting to know each other better. We both have a strong interest in travel and logistics, which naturally came up in our conversation.”

Her expression softened slightly at his polite tone, though she still looked uncertain.

Nana Pearl chimed in. “Why don’t you two continue your date in private in the den? The fire is so cozy this time of night.”

Lila shot her grandmother a grateful look and stood, motioning for Zhoel to follow her. “That sounds great, Nana.”

He rose from his chair, giving the family a polite nod, and followed Lila out of the dining room, his heart racing. Negotiations or not, perhaps this just turned into an actual date after all.