I’VE BEEN GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE.
Lev
I’m a cultural anthropologist, and I’ve been on Earth studying human women for the past year. I disguise my true appearance with a Dulu holo device so that I appear completely human. But what’s happened is completely unexpected. I’ve become romantically involved with a human woman.
My time on Earth is almost coming to an end. I must tell her the truth, but there’s a problem, she doesn’t believe in aliens, and she has two daughters from a previous relationship tying her to Earth.
WILL SEVEN FLOWERS UNDER HER PILLOW TONIGHT CONVINCE HER OF OUR DESTINY?
*Standalone
*Two POV
*56k
*Doors are Open
*HEA
*Second-Chance Romance
*Mid-Life Love
Pre-order now for only $0.99 (regular price $2.99). Release for June 2023.
ebook and audio (narrated by Jill Smith and Jack Calihan).
EXCERPT:
Anna
“This was a surprise,” I say as I sit across from Lev in a popular sushi restaurant. He looks very handsome in a white button-down shirt and blue jacket, and I can see the hint of the silver necklace he always wears.
“I wanted to see you.” He runs his hands through his short black hair.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” he says a little too quickly to be believable. “I’m just hungry, and I’ve been working all day, so I’ve not seen anyone.”
“Oh,” I reply as if that is convincing. We order some dishes to share and beer to drink.
After our drinks arrive, he asks, “Did you read the article I sent you?”
“The one about the aliens?”
“Yes,” he says evenly.
I don’t know why he’s so annoyed by my tone. It’s not like we’re in a UFO club together. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to read it. Don’t tell me you really believe in aliens.”
His green eyes are serious. “Yes.”
For a minute, I actually think he’s telling the truth. “Stop. Aliens do not exist, Lev.”
“Anna,” he begins, but then our food arrives, and whatever he is going to say is lost while our server tells us what every dish is.
After we’ve eaten, I say, “I’m glad you called me today. I was going to ask if you wanted to spend Midsummer with us in Leksand?”
“Leksand? The quaint town by the large lake created by a meteor?”
“I’ve never heard it described that way but yes. That’s the one, lots of red cabins with white shutters.”
“I wouldn’t want to intrude on you and your daughters’ time,” he answers politely.
“They’d welcome you. Plus, they’ll be off with their friends in the evening. My friend Elin has a large house and always hosts so they’ll be a group of us.”
“Then, of course, I’d like to spend Midsummer with you and your friends. Let me know what I can bring.”
“Just yourself,” I reply. Lev tries so hard to cook, but his food is quite tasteless, so I don’t want him bringing anything. “I’ll forward you the invitation now.” I get out my mobile, forward him the invitation, and then message Elin my RSVP.
I am bringing someone to Midsummer. A bed for two if you please.
Elin replies immediately with an emoji:
I smile and put away my mobile. “Great.”
I pick up a piece of sushi and pop it into my mouth. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt that so many things are going the right way in my life as I feel right now.
After our meal, Lev suggests we walk along Strandvägen, and I agree. The days are long, the sun hasn’t even begun to set, and it won’t for another four hours. We join other pedestrians walking along the line of docked boats of all sizes and in the background are the occasional screams of delight from patrons of Gröna Lund, the amusement park on the nearest island.
“Anna, if we stop here, will you take the time to read the article I sent you? It’ll only take a few minutes.”
“What? Why is this so important all of the sudden?”
“Read the article.”
“Lev, this was funny before, but now it’s annoying. I’m not going to read the article, and I don’t believe in aliens.”
Lev grabs my hand, and takes me between some of the buildings. Once we are there, he finds an even narrower alleyway. If I didn’t trust him so much, I would be worried he would rape me. But I trust him, don’t I? Although this behavior is really odd. Lev would never do anything to hurt me. Would he?
He looks both ways to make sure we are alone.
“What are you doing?” I ask, but then he leans in and kisses me hard and fast. His physical touch is so familiar but his other actions are not. My heart and mind are racing in conflicting ways.
“I needed some reassurance. Now, listen Anna, I’m going to show you something extraordinary. Look only at my face.”
“Okay.” This is weird.
Lev grasps his silver necklace, the one he always wears, then looks at me intently, and his skin switches from light brown to grey. He repeats this a few times, like a child playing with a light switch. I reach out and touch his face to make it stop or to figure out if this is a trick of the light, a modern filter but when I pull my fingers back, there’s no grey paint nor did my fingers become distorted by light or anything else.
“Is this a trick?”
“It’s no trick, Anna. I am an alien.”
I put my hands up to my ears instinctively. Am I losing my mind?
Lev pulls my hands down and repeats himself with one word, “Alien.”
I don’t know what to say or what to do.
I duck under his arms and run away into the center of Östermalm. It’s busy with outdoor cafes and bars and it’s not difficult for me to lose myself in the crowd. I hear him call my name, but I don’t turn around. I let myself become lost.
***
I take the metro back to my apartment in what’s known as Siberia Vasastan and close and lock the door. But, I can’t get the images of Lev with grey skin out of my mind.
“Mom, are you okay?” Hanna asks me, coming out of the drawing room.
“I’m fine, baby.”
“You’re pale. Can I get you some water?”
“That’d be good.” I take off my shoes and sit on a sofa in the drawing room just staring out the window. Hanna hands me a glass of water, and I slowly drink it.
“Did you see Dad or?”
“No. It’s nothing to do with him. Do I look this way when I see him?”
Hanna smiles. “Sometimes.”
“It wasn’t your dad, and it was something paranormal.”
“The ghost in the corridor?”
“I’ve been telling you girls since you could talk, there is no ghost in the corridor.”
“Mom, everyone in this building has seen the ghost but you.”
I wave my hand away. “It isn’t that.”
“What kind of paranormal then?” Hanna asks, leaning in close.
I want to tell someone so much, but not her. “I think it might be perimenopause; I thought I saw something that wasn’t there; maybe it was a ghost.”
“Mom, you’re not going to tell me?”
“Now that I’m home, it’s all fine. I’m going to go lie down for a few minutes.” I put the water glass in the kitchen, go into my bedroom, and close the door. I lie down and open the article Lev had sent me on my mobile. I read it. I reread his email.
I close my mobile and close my eyes, trying to make sense of everything.
Has he escaped from a mental institution? Is that why he is so secretive? I knew this was too good to be true.
After a few minutes, I decide I’m not giving up on this yet. I get up and turn on my computer. I do something that I should have done long ago, something that I always tell my daughters to do; I google ‘Dr. Lev Garcia.’ It’s an unusual name, and there aren’t many hits. But none of them are my Lev, except for his social media profiles I already know about. Then I decide to call the University of Buenos Aires. I call the main switchboard, and thankfully they speak perfect English. I’m able to get my call redirected to the anthropology department, and my heart sinks when I hear the words, “We’ve never had anyone under that name working here.”
END OF EXCERPT
Pre-order now for only $0.99 (regular price $2.99). Release for June 2023.
ebook and audio (narrated by Jill Smith and Jack Calihan).
