Remington: Stargazer Alien Mail Order Brides #5 (Intergalactic Dating Agency)

by Tasha Black

  “Let’s get you back there,” she said, looking back at the shore. “Hopefully Marshall didn’t call an ambulance yet. What’s our story?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean what happened to you? Why didn’t you come up for air?” She racked her brains, then came up with something that might work. “You’ll tell them you did come up for air, but that you were zigzagging for strength and doing breath training, so they must not have seen you come up, because you didn’t come up often and you weren’t coming up where they expected you to.”

  “Thank you, Addy,” he said. “That is a good idea.”

  She nodded and tried not to smile. It was funny to see such a contrite expression on the face of such a big, hunky guy.

  “You will never do this again,” she said sternly.

  “I will not,” he agreed.

  “Let’s go,” she said.

  “Addy, wait.”

  She turned back to him, willing herself not to let him kiss her. Knowing that she probably wouldn’t be able to help herself.

  “I know you don’t love me,” he said simply. “I won’t stand in the way of what you want. I will let you go.”

  She could see that it cost him to say it. And that his decision was partly due to whatever mistaken conclusion he’d drawn when he saw her talking to Marco. If she explained the truth, he would believe her, would trust her, because he was Remington, and that’s what he did. But she knew it was for the best.

  Crushed, she nodded once and swam off toward the shore.

  She could hear him just behind her, the steady beats of his big arms hitting the water as fast as hers, though she had swum all her life and he had learned just days ago.

  He was a great swimmer.

  At least she had given him something.

  Addy

  Addy adjusted the brim of her hat and looked out over the lawn.

  The day of the Floatillion had arrived.

  As far as her eye could see, there were women in flouncy dresses and men in suits. Hats, gloves and exaggerated courtly behavior abounded. The whole thing looked like it might have been the after party for the extras in a made-for-TV remake of Gone With the Wind.

  The lake was studded with beautifully decorated canoe floats. And, as if Mother Nature were in on the party, the sun shone a perfect pink as it set on the crisp, clear day.

  She couldn’t have asked for more.

  Except that it looked like they were going to come up short on their fundraising goal by almost fourteen thousand dollars.

  So much hard work, all for nothing. Addy mourned the loss of Maxwell’s even as she stood in the midst of its homey splendor.

  And of course it didn’t help that every time she looked, Remington was surrounded by a bevy of be-hatted beauties in the pavilion.

  Addy could practically hear them squealing I do declare and grabbing his beefy arms.

  You don’t want to be with him, she reminded herself.

  After the other day, she had given up on hooking him up with anyone. It was too hard. He would find someone on his own, someone who really cared about him. At least she hoped he would.

  Though staying hopeful was getting harder by the minute. She was far too busy steaming up at the spectacle he was making of himself, with grown women lolling all over him like he was some kind of rock star. She could only imagine how they disgracefully they would throw themselves at him if they knew he was from another planet.

  “Penny for your thoughts, my dear,” someone said suggestively in a dreadful attempt at a Southern accent.

  She turned to see Marco from the golf course. He had a little walking stick and a straw hat. But his brightly colored Reeboks sort of spoiled the look.

  “Hey, Marco. What’s up?”

  “I was wondering if you might join me for a dance later this evening,” he said, and made a funny little bow that included a flourish of the stick.

  Addy laughed in spite of herself.

  “You make a good case,” she said. “Sure, I’ll dance with you later. But no funny business.”

  “Why, Miss Barnes,” he exclaimed in mock astonishment, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “See that you don’t,” she said.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, dropping the courtly bit and sounding like a friend.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I guess I’m just worried about the resort. We’re coming up short with the fundraiser.”

  “Well, I know you’ve still got the auction planned,” Marco said.

  “Yeah, but I don’t know that we’re getting fourteen grand for the eight of us,” Addy said. “Especially when most of us are friendly enough to go out for free.”

  “Some of you are,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

  “Well, if you’ve got fourteen thousand dollars, I guess you’ve got yourself a date,” Addy laughed.

  “Don’t I wish,” Marco said, shaking his head sadly. “I guess I’d better woo you with my dancing later.”

  “Guess so,” Addy replied.

  “Addy, can you help with something,” Honey called as she approached them.

  “Sure,” Addy replied. “See you later, Marco.”

  Marco tipped his hat and headed off.

  “There’s a guy who wants to take his kid on the float but we don’t have enough lifejackets and the kid hasn’t passed the swim test,” Honey said.

  “There may be more lifejackets in the shed,” Addy said. “But no one can be out there unless they have a life jacket, or they’ve passed the swim test. That’s a hard rule. I don’t mind dealing with the guy if we can’t find another jacket.”

  “Thanks, Addy,” Honey said. She looked relieved. Honey hated conflict. She always had a harder time laying down the law than Addy did.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Honey asked as they headed down to the lake together.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know,” Honey said. “About Remington?”

  “I will be okay,” Addy said with a sigh. “But I don’t know if I’m okay today. You know?”

  “I know,” Honey said. “If you need me I’m here. I’ve got you.”

  “I know you do,” Addy said, grabbing her friend’s hand and squeezing it as the tears prickled her eyes. “I know you do.”

  Remington

  Remington had a perfect view of the lawn from his place in the pavilion.

  He could see the sun just beginning to set over the lake, which was studded with the strange contraptions built on canoes. He could see the main stone edifice of Maxwell’s Resort where he worked and guests stayed, tiki torches and fire pits glowing all around it. He could see the kids building sandcastles for the competition on the pebble beach of the lake. He could even see the seating area and the little stage set up for the dreaded auction.

  And he could see Addy, on the lawn, with the same little man from the other day courting her.

  Remington would have liked nothing more than to storm across the lawn, pick that ridiculous man up by his white suit, and dump him in the lake.

  But he had made Addy a promise that he would let her go.

  Esther stood beside him, her small hand on his bicep, then snaking up toward his neck.

  “What’s this?” she asked, fingering the stone from Aerie.

  He drew back instinctively.

  “It’s just a rock,” he said, staring down at Addy.

  “Are you okay?” Esther asked. “You’re not still worried about that skank Addy Barnes, are you? You know she comes here every summer and parties like crazy. You were just her latest boy toy. She’s moved on already. She always does.”

  “Excuse me,” Remington said, extricating himself from his position between the ladies on the pavilion and heading down the stairs.

  “I’m only telling the truth,” Esther called after him. “You’ll see.”

  He had no idea where he was going, or what a skank was, but he was certain it wasn’t a compliment. He wasn’t about to stand idly by and listen to
someone insult the woman he loved. And there was no way he could watch her get involved with another man.

  Maybe it was best that he wasn’t going to click and permanently take on his role as a human.

  Hard as it was to think of returning to the solitude of Aerie after the richness of life on Earth, it might be preferable to these feelings that ripped him apart inside with their beauty and pain.

  “Ladies and gentlemen.” Malik’s amplified voice carried across the lawn. “It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. It’s time for the auction!”

  Remington froze.

  He knew he should keep walking, run even, into the woods where he couldn’t hear what was happening, couldn’t see the woman he adored being bought by a stranger.

  But he found his feet carrying him to the area in front of the little stage.

  He stood behind the back row, unable to seat himself with the others.

  As the rows filled in with familiar faces, he tried to look away, so as not to have to speak with anyone.

  “Oh, hello there, young man,” Dr. Blum said kindly. “Got your eye on any of the ladies?”

  Remington shook his head. He usually enjoyed talking to the old professor. The man had a way about him that made even his long anecdotes about geology seem interesting. But Remington wasn’t really in the mood for banter at the moment.

  “Pity,” Dr. Blum said. “But I guess a good looking fellow like you doesn’t have to pay for a date. Ha!”

  Remington tried to smile back. The result must not have been what he was going for, as Dr. Blum stopped laughing and turned back around in his seat.

  Remington knew he should leave immediately, before he did something more wrong than smile badly.

  But if something important was about to happen to Addy Barnes, Remington was going to be there.

  He couldn’t be anywhere else.

  Addy

  Addy sat on her chair on the makeshift stage, watching the people trail in.

  Malik was at the microphone really hamming it up. He had been the perfect choice for auctioneer, even though he had no experience.

  “I see Sid Barrett is with us tonight,” Malik said. “Always on the lookout for another future ex-wife, eh Sid?”

  In the crowd, Sid gave a perfect you got me gesture and the crowd chuckled as Malik continued.

  “There’s Dr. Blum,” he said. “Hello there, sir. Maybe our friend the geologist is looking for a diamond in the rough on our stage tonight.”

  He was rewarded with a chorus of laughs and groans.

  “Oh, now this is a treat,” Malik said, “Mr. Travers has joined us. Have a seat, sir, have a seat.”

  Addy searched the crowd and saw it was not Wade, but his father. Interesting for him to show up, after he’d pledged to sell his shares in the place.

  Sam Travers looked directly at her, his eyes cold and accusing.

  He must have known she’d organized this event. Good. He was an awful person and he needed to learn that bullying people who were smaller and less powerful wasn’t always effective.

  In spite of her bravado, she couldn’t suppress a small shiver at the sight of his humorless smile. She forced her eyes away from him and into the gathering.

  She spotted Remington, standing behind the back row, arms crossed in front of him as if he were Secret Service or something.

  Was there no safe place in the crowd to look?

  She glanced next to her. Nikki was cool as a cucumber. Funny how the other woman always seemed so nervous, but under real pressure she was hard as a diamond.

  Malik stopped his patter at last and the bidding began. There were six women ahead of Addy and each one came up and grinned as Malik pointed out their accomplishments.

  “You might think that her serve is admirable,” Malik said. “But tennis coach Constance Dean is a Psychology major at the University of Arizona, so spending time with her might resolve your unhappy childhood, as well as your weak backhand. Let’s start the bidding at twenty-five dollars.”

  They had opted to start low so that no one’s feelings could be hurt by standing up there and not getting bid on.

  Indiana sat in the front row, placing a first bid on each counselor, then giving way to other bidders. Each time he raised his paddle, Nikki buttoned her lips tightly, then relaxed when the danger had passed.

  Addy tried not to be amused. It was so clear the two were into each other. It was only a matter of time.

  At last it was her turn.

  “Adelaide Barnes, come on up,” Malik said. “Addy is a great swim coach, who knows that the real way to a man’s heart is through an incision in the thoracic cavity. Addy is pre-med at Tarker’s Hollow College in Pennsylvania.”

  “A thousand dollars,” Mr. Travers said loudly, before Malik even had a chance to start the bidding.

  Addy felt the color leave her cheeks.

  “A thousand dollars,” Malik echoed. “A very generous bid from a man of obvious taste. Do I hear one thousand twenty-five?”

  There was a moment of silence.

  Addy began to panic.

  She did not want to go anywhere with Sam Travers. His son was a monster, and the look on the man’s face told her that particular apple hadn’t fallen far at all.

  “One thousand simoleons,” Malik said. “Going once…”

  A commotion in the back drew her attention.

  “Wait,” Remington yelled out.

  “Ah, another bid may be coming,” Malik said, waggling his eyebrows. “Someone’s been saving their tips for a rainy day.”

  Remington was talking heatedly with Dr. Blum in the chair in front of him. After a moment, Remington pulled his necklace over his head and handed it to the older gentleman as Dr. Blum passed Remington his bidding paddle.

  “Fourteen thousand dollars,” Remington said.

  There were gasps from the crowd.

  “I’m sorry, son, did you mean fourteen hundred dollars?” Malik asked kindly.

  “Fifteen hundred dollars,” Travers said with a wince.

  “Fourteen thousand dollars,” Remington repeated.

  Malik looked to Travers.

  Addy’s heart was in her mouth as she watched the man’s face go white with fury.

  Then Travers threw down his paddle and marched away.

  “Sold,” Malik sang out, “to the gentleman with the gigantic pecs. Enjoy your date, my boy, if you have enough money left to take her out.”

  The sounds of the crowd seemed to melt away as she walked down the stairs of the stage to join Remington.

  He took her hand and walked her out onto the lawn.

  “You gave him your necklace,” she said.

  “He offered me a lot of money for it before,” Remington shrugged.

  “But, it’s special to you,” she said. “It reminds you of home.”

  “It’s not special anymore,” Remington said, gazing down at her. “You are special to me. You are my home. I did not want you to marry that man. I bought you so that you could be free, to become a doctor, as you wish.”

  “Wait, what?” she asked. “You thought I had to marry him?”

  “Is this not what auctions are for - to obtain possessions?” He looked stunned. “I had thought that this was a barbaric custom abandoned by most of your people many years ago. But you proposed it yourself to save the place you think of as your home.”

  “No, no it is for fun, for a date,” she said. “You know, to go to dinner and talk?”

  “I see,” he said. She could practically see the wheels turning. “This will be a relief to my brothers,” he said at last, nodding.

  “But… your necklace,” she sighed.

  “No,” he said. “It was worth it. I found it easier to let go of Aerie than I do of you. But I will manage, Addy Barnes. You have made me a better person.”

  Addy’s world spun on its axis.

  He was willing to give up the memory of Aerie for her.

  He was willing to sell his most prized possession, ju
st to let her go.

  “Remington,” she said. “Remington, I…”

  He reached out to stroke her cheek so lightly.

  “Addy,” someone called frantically from the direction of the lake. “Addy!”

  Remington

  Remington let his hand drop from Addy’s face.

  The person running toward them was one of the young women who took turns as lifeguards. She looked terrified.

  His first thought was that someone must be drowning, but then she wouldn’t be running away from the water.

  “What’s wrong, Shauna?” Addy’s voice was remarkably calm.

  “Someone took a motor boat into the restricted section,” Shauna cried. “They got hung up in the gas pipeline.”

  Remington watched Addy’s face go pale.

  “It’s okay,” Addy said. “This has happened before. I’ll check it out. Meanwhile, you’d better get everyone off the lawn. And tell someone to call the fire department to turn off the gas main.”

  Remington followed her gaze, took in the tiki torches, the bon fires, and all the people.

  When he turned back to her, she was already halfway to the lake.

  He peeled off his shirt and followed, running to catch up.

  They hit the cool water together, swimming hard.

  There were still people out on the lake in their floats.

  “Get off the water,” Addy yelled to everyone they passed.

  At last they reached the edge of the roped-off area that was restricted. Someone had moved the floating rope that usually marked the boundary. A blue motorboat floated but didn’t move. It must have been tethered by the line below.

  Foul smelling bubbles rumbled to the surface.

  The pipe had been ruptured.

  “I’m so sorry,” the man aboard blubbered,” I didn’t know.”

  “We just need you to evacuate, sir,” Addy said calmly. “We know you didn’t rupture the line on purpose.”

  “You mean, like, swim to the shore?” he asked.

  “Can you swim?” Addy asked him.

  “What? Oh yes, sure,” he said. He jumped into the water and swam off toward the shore.