“Hey, Miss Nell, how are you doing today?” Mel Hughes walked up wearing his normal uniform of jeans, a T-shirt, and a trucker hat lined with tinfoil, his girlfriend at his side.
Cassidy Meyer had her steel gray hair in a long braid, one hand in Mel’s and the other holding a big insulated tote.
Nell could remember when the tin foil routinely stuck out of the hat. Since Mel had started dating Cassidy Meyer, she’d taken over the management of his hat shields, and most of the time no one would know Mel was protecting his brain from alien death rays.
“We missed you earlier.” Cassidy smiled so much more these days. Years ago Nell had Cassidy’s tiny cabin on what she liked to call her “rounds.” She’d identified people who lived alone and visited them. Sometimes only once because they truly wanted to be alone. But Cassidy had been isolated, and she’d welcomed Nell.
Nell had mentioned that Mel knew a lot about aliens, too, and now Cassidy was a part of the community.
Couples made each other better. The ones that truly worked did. They shored up the deficiencies in the other. Holly smoothed over Caleb’s rough edges and helped him navigate social functions. She helped Alexei with his college work. Both men lifted up her confidence and supported her in everything she wanted to do. Stef Talbot gave his wife all the help she needed, and in return she’d softened the hard lines of his life and helped him relax.
Henry had given her a place where the world had been safer than it had been before. He’d given her companionship and unquestioning support. He’d thought like she did.
Except that had been a lie.
“I’m great,” she replied with a smile she didn’t feel at all.
Mel’s expression dimmed. “I can hardly believe that. Henry’s not here. Hell, I haven’t seen you without Henry hovering somewhere close for six years or so. You said he was off on some retreat?”
This was why she should have followed her first instinct and stayed home. “He had some business to deal with. I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”
Ah, that was why she hadn’t stayed in the cabin this evening. She’d sat there for two nights since he’d called to tell her he needed a few more days. She couldn’t simply sit there and wait for him to decide to come home.
She couldn’t be that faithful woman waiting for her man with a good meal on the table and a baby in her belly.
“It’s weird that he would leave like that.” Mel sat down across from her and leaned in. “Are we sure he left of his own accord, if you know what I mean?”
She softened. Of course Mel would be worried. She reached out and covered her hand with his. “It wasn’t aliens. Michael and I put him on a plane. He’s been in touch. He’s okay. He’s just…busy.”
“I heard that some of the men in black came to visit you.” Cassidy kept her voice low and shifted her gaze around as though those same men would show up at any moment.
Nell shook her head. She needed to make them comfortable. “No, they were definitely from the government, but they weren’t looking for aliens. They were looking for Henry, who, might I remind you, has taken the beet many times.”
Cassidy sat back. “Yes, he has. He’s a good one, your man. Even if he was with the CIA fellas.”
Nell nodded. “He faked his death to get away from them. Personally, I think he should have put in a two-week notice, but everyone tells me I’m naïve.”
“Hey, Nell, Mel, and Cassidy,” a feminine voice called out. Lucy Carson was walking by the pavilion, a big box in her hand. It was almost too big for her to carry. Yet she stopped and her voice went breathless. “Hi, Michael. How are you this evening?”
“Uh, good. Fine. Uhm, I’m working.” The words came out of his mouth with all the grace of a truly horrendous pratfall.
Lucy’s brows rose, and even in the low light she could see the young woman flush. “Oh, of course. I’m working, too. Bringing some supplies from Trio. Well, y’all have a good night.”
Nell groaned as Lucy walked away. Cautiously. Like any minute that big box was going to drag her down. “Michael, help her. Mel has staved off whole alien invasions. He can take care of me.”
“And I stabbed my ex-husband,” Cassidy added with a smile. “I have a knife on me right now.”
Michael practically leapt to his feet. “I know that shouldn’t make me feel better. I’ve been here too long. Please don’t let anyone murder her.” He ran off after the dark-haired woman. “Hey, Lucy. Let me help you.”
“I would never let anyone murder Miss Nell.” Mel was shaking his head. “Henry would have my hide. Besides, I took an oath to serve the human race and protect them all. Now you need to know that Henry couldn’t have simply walked away from those CIA fellas.”
She knew she shouldn’t argue, but she kind of wanted to. “Plenty of people retire from the CIA. They also leave and go to other jobs. They’re not immediately murdered because they took a job interview somewhere else.”
“Not at Henry’s level they don’t,” Mel replied. “I did a stint in the Marines and I worked with the Agency from time to time. I got brought in when they couldn’t explain something. Then I would get the alien and either negotiate for it to leave or sadly, put it down.”
“It’s not sad when you put down a reptilian.” Cassidy opened her bag and started pulling out her portable food containers. “I mean I’m sure it’s emotionally awful for the reptilian, but they emit this gas on death, and it’s a lot like nitrous oxide. There you
