Page 47 of The Alien Reindeer's Bounty
He laughed, rich and throaty.
She flipped through the streaming menu on the television. “Anything in particular you want to watch?”
“Whatever you like.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and slowly removed the label on the bottle.
She started a new episode of a murder mystery. Normally she dug the blue-washed tone and the stark, bleak setting with jaded detectives, but not tonight. She quickly abandoned the show and settled on a bake-off show. The tent on the green lawn, the polite contestants and the pastel colors satisfied an itch. Deep down, she knew she did not have the patience to make the complicated cakes and confections featured on the show, but she loved watching.
She stretched out on the sofa, head on Mads’ lap. The arrangement came naturally to her, as they had watched hundreds of movies in that exact same position. “Is this weird? Too much?” She should have asked before making herself comfortable, but her body moved before her tired brain had a chance to say no.
“This is perfect,” he said, his voice low and soothing. He stroked her hair and her eyes fluttered shut. She shouldn’t enjoy being petted like, well, a pet, but it felt too good to stop.
“I could make a Victoria sponge,” she said, her voice dreamy and relaxed.
“Odessa, we need to talk about today.”
“It looks complicated but it’s just a yellow cake with jam and buttercream. That’s basically a strawberry shortcake.”
“Odessa,” he repeated.
“Fine. I don’t like your uncle, he scared the crap out of me Friday night, I don’t care if he is a harmless old coot, I think he’s the one who broke in, and I never want to see him again. Happy?”
He took a moment before responding. “That certainly covered everything.”
“I hate this feeling.” Odessa wished she could ignore it, push it aside and forget it. She had plenty of practice ignoring her feelings. As a single parent, she sacrificed her social and romantic life. Who had time for socializing? She had to work. Thankfully, she had support. Without her family’s help, she’d have spent a fortune on childcare, but the bills were still a tightrope. Still, Ruby was her priority and every nickel went toward food, shelter, and clothes for Ruby.
What Odessa wanted for herself—new shoes, a trip to a fancy salon—waited at the bottom of her list of priorities. Maybe one day she could afford to splurge on herself. Maybe.
As a small business owner, her financial worries were not limited to just her bank account. Her market did well but the new location drained away any hopes of profitability. Real people, people she cared for and considered friends, depended on the stores making payroll every two weeks. She couldn’t mess up. Stress kept her up at night and the last thing she needed was to feel vulnerable in her own home.
Correction: the last thing she needed was Ruby feeling vulnerable in her own home. Odessa could shove her own anxiety to the side and soldier on, which probably wasn’t the healthiest way to cope, but she was all out of ideas.
Mads’ hand rested on the back of her neck. He didn’t make promises or try to dismiss her feelings, and that was the perfect response. They watched the baking show in silence.
Chapter 13
Odessa
Monday.
Neither she nor Ruby slept well. They stumbled through their morning in a zombie-like trance but, somehow, she got Ruby fed, dressed, and to school on time.
“Have a good day at school. I love you tons,” Odessa said, lavishing a squirming Ruby with a hug and a kiss.
“Mommy,” she protested, turning away. A passing student, about the same age as Ruby, made exaggerated kissing noises.
Kids were the worst, teasing Ruby when they needed sloppy hugs and kisses, too.
“Don’t pay them any attention,” she said, even as Ruby wiped away the kiss on her cheek, all the while making a gagging noise.
Wonderful. Ruby was too embarrassed to hug her mom in public now.
Odessa’s heart hurt, realizing that her little goblin was growing up and would soon be too big for hugs and kisses.
She stopped at the coffee shop to refuel. By the time she got to the market, she felt human again. The security gate was still down in front, but that wasn’t unusual. No one liked to fool around with the gate if they could help it, which meant they left it for the boss.
“Morning, boss,” the morning shift manager said in a way too chipper voice. Early morning customers already milled about as the staff set up for the day.
“Where’s Bonnie?”
