Chapter Five
“Liza?” Mawmaw’s voice rang through the air, and Liza was reluctantly pulled back to reality.
She quickly stepped away from Jaspar, right before her grandmother appeared between two massive balsam firs.
“Are you ready to go back now?” Mawmaw asked.
“Absolutely. And quickly,” Liza said. At her grandmother’s puzzled look, she added, “It’s getting cold.” She glanced at Jaspar and shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold.
They all piled into the hovercraft and headed back. Liza glanced over at Jaspar, half expecting to see him curling his lip at the shoddiness of her family’s craft. It was scarred and scratched and dented, and plastifoam oozed from cracks in the seats. The model was at least fifty years old. His clan’s hovercraft was gleaming and shiny and at least five times the size of hers.
Jaspar didn’t seem to notice, however; he was looking out the viewscreen at the surrounding landscape with appreciation.
“Your world is very beautiful,” he said as they glided over the sparkling, snow-blanketed highway.
“Yes, it was,” Liza said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
There was a loud humming sound. The hovercraft vibrated, then sank to the ground. Liza’s grandfather reached forward and pressed the communicator button. Nothing happened. The craft was completely dead.
Liza groaned. They were still a couple of miles away from the bed and breakfast. Her grandparents were in their seventies. They were still in great shape, but she didn’t want them trudging two miles through the snow in this weather.
She glanced over at Jaspar with a sigh.
“Do you have your communicator with you?”
“Do not worry,” Jaspar said. “I have wings, after all. I will give you a ride back to the bed and breakfast, and we will send my mechanic to fix your hovercraft and get your family.”
Liza shook her head. “No, I think it would be better if I stayed with my family and you flew back to get help.”
“It will count as one of our times of knowing.” She stared at him. “One of our dates,” Jaspar explained. “That is, if you let me fly you some more after we get help for your family.”
“Oh, are you two going on a date?” her grandmother said, perking up. “Christmas is a very romantic time of year. That’s when I met Liza’s grandfather.” She looked at Liza more closely. “Were you two standing under the mistletoe earlier?”
“No!” Liza said sharply, at the same time Jaspar said, “Yes.”
Liza glared at him.
“We kissed,” he added helpfully. “She is definitely my heart-mate.”
Liza shook her head. “I can’t believe this,” she groaned.
“Tell me about this heart-mate business,” her grandfather said, looking way too interested.
“Doesn’t it sound romantic?” Mawmaw gushed.
“Okay, fine, you can fly me back to the bed and breakfast,” Liza said quickly. “But will it be safe? I thought that your species couldn’t fly in the cold.”
“I can fly as long as it’s above thirty degrees,” he said. “I read the weather plans for today and the temperature will not fall below thirty-five.”
She glanced at her grandparents.
“We’ll be fine,” her grandfather assured her. “We’ll stay inside the hovercraft. You two lovebirds go fly now.”
Liza glared at him, but he just smiled back, looking innocent. Her grandmother patted him on the hand approvingly.
Great. Her grandparents were now conspiring to marry her off to a giant sexy alien who had destroyed their entire planet.
“Christmas madness!” she muttered under her breath. It was the only explanation.
