Page 62 of Breathless Recruiter

She always explained their traditions, but this time I didn’t care. I wanted my favorite humans to meet. “Can we have some cocoa?”

She signaled for Dustin to follow. “He can’t visit without his cup of cocoa. If you haven’t figured out, this boy has a sweet tooth.”

“Oh, you don’t have to tell me,” he said.

It only took a moment before Dustin relaxed. As they passed, her arm still around his shoulders, he tugged on my hand. Earth Mom had already started peppering him with questions.

“So you’re one of those heroes he tells me about?”

“Uhm…”

“There are no secrets here, child.” That didn’t seem to alleviate his fears. “I raised an alien and taught him to keep his powers under control. Nothing has surprised me in years.”

I followed them into the house and kicked off my shoes in the hallway. Even after all this time, the smell of burned wood and vanilla reminded me of home. I didn’t care if it wasn’t customary to introduce a friend to Earth Mom. I wanted Dustin to meet the person who knew all my secrets.

“Have yourselves a seat, and I’ll get the cocoa going.”

I rushed down the hall into the kitchen. Pulling out a chair for Dustin, he took a seat. I scooted next to him, a smile stapled on my face. My fingers traced the knots in the table, a pieceof wood Earth Mom’s former husband cut down. Indoors for seconds, and I already missed the simplicity of living in the woods.

“So, tell me, how did you boys meet?”

“A fiendish beast from the pits of hell attempted to kill me.”

She shot Dustin a curious look. “A mouse escaped from the lab?—”

“We don’t use that word,” she said.

He chuckled. “I’m the security guard at the company. I saved him from the tiny whiskered terror.” Dustin slid a hand under the table, resting it on my thigh. “Your son is pretty amazing.”

“You don’t need to tell me. If you had told me, ‘Lilly, someday you’re going to find a spaceship in the woods,’ I’d have laughed. But here we are.”

She had three mugs sitting on the counter while she filled the kettle with water. This had been our routine for years. Every day, after finishing our chores and bringing in the haul from the garden, she’d make cocoa. The one time we had run out, I turned to run to the store and flew out the door. I received a lecture when I returned.

“How’s the work going, punkin?”

“I had my evaluation today. Arthur said I’m doing outstanding.” I straightened my back, rather proud of the accomplishment. “Then Janet threatened to touch my butt.”

“Do I need to talk with Arthur’s sister?” she asked.

The thought of Earth Mom bursting through the lobby doors would have me hiding in my office. In a showdown between the two women, I didn’t know who would walk away victorious. With my luck, Janet would recruit her into the motorcycle gang.

“You should have seen him at the launch party. He looked pretty darned spiffy in his costume.”

“You heroes and your spandex. Did Wyatt tell you I sewed his first costume? That boy tore through it so fast. He’d go outto play hero, and before sundown, he’d be knocking at the door butt naked.”

My face turned bright red. It had been a lot less scary back then.

“Dustin and I have been teaming up in the field. Yesterday, we dealt with a mad scientist.”

“Who got away,” Dustin added. “Not our finest moment.”

The kettle gave a low whistle before Earth Mom took it off the burner. “You can’t win them all. I’m sure they’ll show up again. Theyalwaysmake a nuisance of themselves.”

“If Earth Mom had her way, she’d be my sidekick.”

“Enough with the superhero stuff,” she said, sliding mugs in front of us. She took a seat opposite us at the table. Outside, the breeze picked up, and the wind chimes rang out a soothing melody. The sunlight from the windows warmed the kitchen, making the oranges of the wood surfaces almost glow.

She glanced between Dustin and me, the smile on her face growing. “I want to hear about the boring stuff.”

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