Violet And Her Alien Matchmaker

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “A woman who was my exact opposite. Tall, lithe, and very well put together. I bet her dress cost more than my entire wardrobe.” She fingered her dress. “I felt rather frumpy in comparison to her.”

  “What did Zarin have to say about it?” Tiraz asked.

  “I didn’t wait around to find out. He stared at me when he noticed I was

  watching him, but he never made a move to come after me. Which means the only reason he asked me out is because you asked him to and he never had any real interest in me. I’m glad I found out now rather than later.”

  “I’m sorry, Violet. I know he’s been seeking a mate and I truly thought the two of you would do well together. Give me some time to think about it and I’ll come up with some other names for you.”

  She glanced at Simon then back at Tiraz. “We’ll discuss it later.”

  Tiraz nodded and motioned toward the door. “Would you like to join us? We

  were about to head to that burger place over on Seventh Street. I told Simon they let you shoot toothpicks into the ceiling and throw peanut shells on the floor.”

  “Sounds fun.” Violet smiled. “Am I dressed okay?”

  His gaze caressed her. “You look beautiful.”

  Violet felt warmth suffuse her cheeks and she smiled. Tiraz grasped Simon’s

  hand and Violet took her son’s other hand. There was a certain buzz in the air as they rode the elevator down, a tingling down her spine, as she was now more aware of Tiraz than ever. After having heard him talk to Simon, she knew for certain he was the one she wanted to marry. He’d been nothing but kind to them, and it was obvious there was a bond between Simon and him. Her little boy hardly ever asked for anything, but now that she knew he wanted Tiraz as a father, how could she deny him? Especially when her body was hyper aware of the sexy, blue alien. She’d been attracted to him from the first, and now she knew she actually had a chance with him.

  At Jernigan’s Pub, Tiraz parked along the curb near the front door and helped Simon out before coming around to assist Violet. Not that she needed help, but it was nice of him to offer. She placed her hand in the crook of his arm, while he grasped Simon’s hand and led him inside. The hostess smiled in greeting and escorted them to a booth along the far wall, their feet crunching on the peanut shells that covered the floor.

  “Is this okay?” the hostess asked.

  “It’s fine,” Tiraz said.

  “Can I sit with you?” Simon asked Tiraz.

  The alien glanced at Violet and she nodded that it was okay. Once everyone was seated, the hostess passed out menus and told them a waiter would be by shortly.

  Simon stared up at the ceiling in awe. “How do they do that?”

  Tiraz smiled. “I think that’s something you’d better try when you’re older. You have to shoot them up there with a straw, kind of like a spitball.”

  Simon’s eyes widened as he stared at Tiraz. “You know about spitballs?”

  “We’re very thorough in our research before we come here. Imagine how you

  would feel if you moved to another country and no one spoke the language. It’s a hundred times worse. We not only have to learn your many languages on Earth, but we have to study all of the customs as well.”

  Violet giggled. “Spitballs are a custom?”

  “Well, maybe not spitballs,” Tiraz relented. “But we learned about those through movies.”

  Simon looked at the menu with his brow furrowed. “I don’t see a place that says

  ‘kids’ anywhere.”

  Tiraz flipped through the menu, locating the children’s portion. “It’s right here,”

  he said, pointing to the lower section on the back flap. “Can you read it?”

  “Not really. I know some of the words because Momma taught me.”

  Tiraz read the menu choices to Simon, pointing to each one, until a decision was made. By the time the waiter came by to take their order, everyone knew what they wanted and ordered with ease. Of course, the first thing Simon asked for was a basket of peanuts so he could drop shells on the floor. It didn’t take Violet long to learn that her son didn’t like the taste of peanuts, even though he adored peanut butter, and he would make scrunched up faces while he chewed.

  “You don’t have to eat the peanuts,” Tiraz said. “I’ll take them if you don’t like them.”

  Simon flashed him a huge smile and did exactly that.

  “Valentine’s Day is tomorrow,” Tiraz said. “Violet, I know I promised you a

  mate, but I was hoping you would spend the day with me. I thought we could take Simon somewhere for lunch after school, then maybe he’d agree to hang out with my brother while I took you to a nice dinner.”

  “I don’t think your brother liked us very much,” she admitted. “Would he really watch Simon? Can you trust him to make sure Simon doesn’t get hurt?”

  “I’ll tell Gryf how important Simon is to me, and I know he’ll watch him

  carefully.” Tiraz smiled down at Simon. “What do you say? Want to hang out with Uncle Gryf tomorrow night? You can make him watch your favorite movie with you and pop some popcorn.”

  Simon’s eyes lit up before dimming. “Momma is right. He didn’t like me.”

  Tiraz bumped Simon with his shoulder. “He liked you just fine. Gryf just isn’t used to showing a lot of emotion.”

  Violet fiddled with her drink. “If you’re sure he’ll be okay with it…”

  She had to admit a night out with Tiraz sounded wonderful. She’d had fun with Zarin earlier, but spending some time with Tiraz? Maybe she could talk to him about the future and see if he might be open to having a ready-made family. Even if he didn’t want to claim her right away, perhaps he would agree to date her for a little while and see if something could grow between them. She’d never been more attracted to someone in her life and she hoped he felt the same about her.

  Their food arrived and she watched as Simon happily demolished his

  cheeseburger and fries. Violet had to say that Tiraz was right about the burgers being sensational. She couldn’t remember ever having eaten a better one. As she ate, she observed Tiraz and her son, marveling at how close they seemed to be.

  “Why don’t you tell your mom about the zoo?” Tiraz asked Simon.

  Her son’s eyes lit up.

  “We got to see elephants and tigers. The bears had this huge ball they were

  playing with, and the ostriches weren’t like the cartoons at all. I didn’t see a single one with its head in the sand.”

  “That sounds like so much fun,” Violet said, wishing she’d been there to witness his first time at the zoo.

  “There was a show with sea lions and they did all kinds of tricks. They even had camel rides, but they were closed. Daddy said we can go another time to ride them.”

  Her eyes widened and she looked from her son to Tiraz to see if the slip had bothered the alien, but he was merely smiling down at Simon.

  “Did you tell her about your lemur?” Tiraz asked.

  “I got a new stuffed toy. It’s a lemur with a pretty ringed tail,” Simon said. “I’ll have to introduce you to Jasper later.”

  “Jasper?” she asked.

  Simon nodded. “Jasper is the monkey in a book we read at school.”

  “Well, I look forward to meeting Jasper.” Violet smiled at him, uncertain if she should bring up the “daddy” slip or not. Was this the first time he’d done it? Or had Simon called Tiraz daddy while they were at the zoo? The alien didn’t seem upset by it.

  “If everyone is finished, I say we call it a night and watch a movie before a certain little boy needs to go to bed,” Tiraz suggested.

  Simon yawned. “But I’m not tired.”

  Violet laughed. “Of course, you aren’t. You need to take a bath and put on

  pajamas whether you’re ready or not.”

  Simon sighed but nodded.

  Tiraz paid for their meal and escorted them outside to the car. She knew

  t
omorrow night wouldn’t come soon enough. Violet just hoped that when she finally got to talk to him about their future, or whether or not they had one, that he would be open to dating her. If Simon had to say goodbye to Tiraz, she knew it would break her son’s heart. Violet wasn’t too sure it wouldn’t break hers too.

  Chapter Six

  Tiraz yawned and sat up on the edge of the bed. With a groan, he ran his hands through his hair, making it stand on end, scrubbed his hands down his face and wandered into the bathroom. Pulling his toothbrush out of the cup on the counter, he quickly brushed his teeth then splashed some water on his face. The icy liquid jolted him awake and he rubbed a towel over his face before heading to the kitchen. The sound of laughter made him smile as he turned the corner and saw Violet dishing up slices of bacon. There was a bowl of scrambled eggs, a platter of bacon, and another platter of biscuits.

  “You’ve made a feast,” Tiraz said as he wandered over to the coffee pot. He

  pulled down one of his oversized mugs and filled it to the brim before taking a seat at the table.

  “I wasn’t sure if you would be up in time for breakfast. I heard you moving

  around pretty late last night.” Violet returned the skillet to the kitchen then sat next to him.

  “I had a few things to work on, and I tend to pace when I’m working.”

  “Since you’ve been home with us every day, I just assumed you didn’t work.”

  Tiraz smiled. “I guess you could call me more of a consultant. I was an architect on my world and I’ve studied extensively in preparation for my trip here. So some of your firms in this state, and even as far as California, call me when they run into a problem, and I help them fix it. For a fee of course. Not that I didn’t have money when I moved here, but it’s nice to have money flowing in on a regular basis.”

  “Well, first thing Monday, I’m going to start aggressively looking for a job. I don’t want you to think we’re sponging off you. If this whole mate thing doesn’t work out, then it would be nice to have a back-up. If I have a job, then I’ll be able to take care of us again.”

  Tiraz swallowed the mouthful of egg he’d just bitten into. “I’m not rushing you out of here, Violet. The two of you are welcome here until something definite can be decided. I don’t want you to feel like I don’t want you here.”

  “You haven’t made me feel unwanted,” she rushed to assure him. “I just…like

  standing on my own two feet.”

  “What kind of work do you usually do? Maybe I can be of some help. I’m

  friendly with quite a few businesses around town.”

  “Any type of office work would be nice, but I’m not that great with bookkeeping.

  I’m more into filing, typing, and managing schedules. Like an office assistant or secretarial type of job.”

  “I’ll speak to a few people and see if anyone is hiring. But even if you get a job, you should still stay at least a month or two and save so you aren’t struggling.”

  And if he had anything to say about it, before she was ready to move out, he’d have convinced her to become his mate. He’d seen interest in her gaze before so he didn’t think he’d have to try too hard to get her to agree, but women could be unpredictable, or so he’d discovered since coming to Earth. He finished his breakfast and his coffee and hurried to get changed so he could take Simon to school. The trick would be convincing Violet to stay home so he could get a little shopping done for Valentine’s Day.

  He pulled on his favorite jeans then grabbed a pinstripe button down out of his closet. He tugged a black wool sweater over it then put on his socks and boots. In the bathroom, he rubbed a little gel between his hands and tried to tame the spiky mess that was standing up all over his head. His particular race never needed to shave, for which he was eternally grateful. After adding a splash of cologne, he snatched his wallet and keys from the dresser and went back to the little family waiting for him.

  “I can take Simon today, if you’d like to rest around here,” he said, hoping she’d agree.

  Violet smiled. “That’s so sweet of you, but I really want to go with him today. I thought we could park and help him carry his favors and cards to his classroom.”

  “I’m not sure who’s more excited about his party. Him or you.”

  “Probably him.” Violet laughed. “But I have to admit, I’m pretty excited too.

  He’s never been able to participate in a class party. He even missed the Christmas gift exchange because I knew I couldn’t afford anything. I’ve been a pretty rotten mom.”

  Simon wrapped his arms around her legs. “No, you haven’t. You’re the best

  mom ever.”

  He watched tears gather in her eyes and knew Simon’s words were exactly what she’d needed to hear. Tiraz might not have known them long, but he had to agree with Simon’s assessment. Violet did everything for her son. She lived and breathed for him.

  No decision was ever made without him in mind, even when she’d gone a date with Zarin. She’d done it in an effort to find Simon a father. Tiraz wasn’t even sure if she liked Zarin, or if she’d just gone out with him because she’d thought Simon liked him.

  “Well, if Simon is going to be on time, we’d better head out,” Tiraz said.

  Simon put on his jacket and grabbed his backpack before rushing to the door, leaving Violet to pick up the sacks of goodies. Tiraz offered to take them, but she shook her head and hurried out the door. He locked up and found them waiting in the elevator.

  The car ride to the school was uneventful, but parking was something of a

  nightmare. It seemed half the school’s parents decided to walk their children to class today. Once Tiraz found a place to park, what seemed like miles from the school, he took the bags from Violet so she could hold Simon’s hand. They checked in at the front office and made their way to his classroom, with plenty of kids pointing and whispering as they passed. A glance at Simon showed the kid looked proud as hell, and Tiraz wondered why.

  Simon’s classroom was decorated for Valentine’s Day and kids were already

  inside. The teacher hurried over to greet them, a smile on her face.

  “You must be Tiraz,” she said, holding out her hand.

  Tiraz transferred the bags to one hand so he could shake hers. “Yes, I am, but how did you know that?”

  “Oh, Simon has talked about you non-stop. He said you’re going to marry his

  mother. I must say, he’s been quite excited about getting a new dad.”

  Violet gasped, but Tiraz jumped in before she could say anything.

  “Simon is a great kid,” Tiraz said. “Any male would be lucky to call him their son. We’ve brought some goodies for the class. I know they were supposed to be turned in yesterday, but we decided to make our own goodie bags for the class last night.”

  “Oh, the kids will love getting more than one goodie bag! Another parent had the same idea and brought hers in this morning too.”

  Violet bent down to kiss Simon on the cheek and Tiraz gave him a hug before

  handing the sacks to the teacher and backing out of the classroom. Once Simon was happily chatting with his friends, he escorted Violet out of the building, his hand at her waist all the way to the car.

  “I’m so sorry!” she said. “I had no idea Simon was saying such things. I’ll be sure to talk to him tonight.”

  “He called me daddy at the zoo.”

  Her eyes widened. “Tiraz, I…”

  He placed a finger over her lips. “Don’t apologize for him. Having him call me daddy was the greatest feeling in the world. I know I said that I would help you find a suitable mate, but I’d like you to at least consider me.”

  “But at the dating agency, you said that you didn’t want to get married.”

  “And I didn’t.” Tiraz grinned. “And then Simon and you barreled into my life.

  The more time I spend with the two of you, the more I don’t want you to go. I didn’t like the idea o
f you going on a date with Zarin, but I was the one who set it up so I couldn’t very well tell you not to go. As Simon and I walked through the zoo, I realized what was missing in my life was right under my nose. You, Violet. Simon and you are what’s missing in my life.”

  “Tiraz, I…Are you sure you don’t just want a family and any family will do?”

  “I love how sweet and funny Simon is, and how absolutely adorable he is when he concentrates really hard on something. I love your cooking; it’s like you cook from the heart; all of your joy is put into whatever meal you’re creating. I love the way you laugh and it lights up your eyes, and the little crease between your brows when you’re worried.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes and she nodded. “All right, Tiraz. Why don’t we see where the road takes us? We’ll go out tonight as planned, and maybe we can have another date soon. I know I see you every day, but other than the few short hours Simon is in school, we aren’t alone to get to know one another better.”

  “Dates are important.” He smiled. “Thank you for letting me date you, Violet.”

  She smiled and her cheeks flushed.

  He held the car door open for her and then closed it after she’d fastened her seatbelt. As he slid behind the wheel, he realized that he’d just had a major win. She hadn’t agreed to become his mate, but she’d agreed that they could pursue a

  relationship, and that was more than he’d had when he got out of bed this morning.

  “I had planned to do a little shopping today. Would you mind if we stopped by the mall?”

  “I don’t think the stores open for another hour.”

  “What about coffee? Want to go get a cup of coffee while we wait on the mall to open? Or would you prefer to go back home?”

  “A coffee date?” she asked.

  “If you want to look at it that way.” He smiled. “I don’t have a problem calling it a date.”

  “In that case, I want a peanut butter fudge brownie too, which means you have to go to Espress Yourself.”

  Tiraz nodded. “I know the place.”

  He smiled a little. He more than just knew the place. His brother owned it, along with two more just like it in other surrounding towns. Gryf had been fascinated with coffee since his first swallow of the dark brew, and once he’d learned how things worked on Earth, he’d decided to start his own business. Of course, he hired humans to manage the locations and had a fully human staff. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t hire an alien if they applied, but most races that had settled on Earth considered themselves too good to brew a cup of coffee for a paycheck.