Soul-Bonded to the Alien(6)

She turned her attention back to the uncle, he really was broad with a slender waist. She didn’t realize how attractive a man like that could be, in the past she was always attracted to the nerdier type of guy.

“Vick, is this your uncle?”

He nodded his head. “This is my uncle, Calix. Uncle Cal, this is Paige, she’s the one I told you about who smelled real good like food.”

Paige found herself blushing as she tried to figure out what Vick meant. The Summer Apple bath wash came to mind. She tried to sniff herself discretely, she did sort of smell like heat and apples.

“You’re right, Vick, I can smell her apple scent from here. Paige, call me Cal, everyone does.”

“Nice to meet you, Cal. Selma and Victor were nice enough to let me stay even though it’s the off season up here.”

“They are always open to the ones who need them. Where are you from that you never saw snow before?”

“I’m from California and I’m fascinated with the snow.”

“Well around here we get lots of it and you can’t say you’re fascinated with it until you hit and have been hit with it.”

“Snowball fight,” Vick yelled diving into the snow and coming up with a ball of it in each hand.

He threw one at Paige and the other at his uncle.

“It’s on,” Paige yelled out, making an oddly shaped ball and throwing it at him.

It came apart before it reached Vick. Not phased, she got another handful of snow and tried again.

“You have to pack it tight,” Cal yelled as his snowball tagged her in the arm. “Like that. Vick, go help her. It will be me against the two of you.”

“Somehow I don’t think the odds are in our favor.” She bent over picking up more snow.

Paige followed Vick’s instructions for making a snowball and this one made it across the yard to hit Cal in the leg. She gave a victory yell and immediately made another one. They laughed and threw snowballs back and forth until she finally had to concede. Cal had taken it easy on them, but he was still declared the winner in the end.

“You’ve got a good throwing arm, Paige. A little work and I might have to run and hide from you. As far as you go,” Cal ran his hand over Vick’s head, “you get stronger every time I see you.”

“Aww Uncle Cal! I’m stronger than superman, want me to prove it?”

“Maybe tomorrow, I thought we were building a snowman today.”

“Paige, do you still want to build a snowman?” The note of hope in his voice was her undoing.

“Not any snowman, but the biggest baddest one there is.”

“Yeah!”

They took a small ball of snow and rolled it into a bigger one. Once it stood where it could be seen from all the windows of the living area they continued to add onto it until the base of the snowman stood half as tall as Vick.

“This is going to be the best snowman ever,” Vick yelled as he started on the second ball of snow.

They rolled until the second ball of snow was almost too big to pick up.

“On the count of three were all going to lift it together? One, two, three.” With Cal doing most of the work, they took a couple of steps to the left and placed the ball of the snow on top of the first one.

“This will be as big as the one dad and I made last year.” Vick clapped his hands and started on the head.

“What do you think of the snowman so far?” Cal asked, walking over to where Paige was resting.

She looked it over, it was big. “I think it’s the best one ever.”

“I think Vick agrees with you. Let’s go help him with the head; Selma will be calling dinnertime soon.”

They finished the head off and Vick brought over a small box he called snowman supplies. It was filled with buttons and even the proverbial carrot. The kicker was a scarf that must belong to Selma. He wrapped it around the neck.

“Now she’ll be safe all winter long.”

“It’s a snowwoman?” Paige asked Vick.

“Of course, that’s why I put mom’s scarf on her. Now she’ll be safe all winter long. You’ll be safe too, Paige. Don’t tell mom about the scarf.”

Paige was rather sure Selma had already seen it. She was standing in the door watching them.

“Dinner time,” her voice cut across the yard before she disappeared back into the bed and breakfast.

“Sounds like it’s time to eat, after you Paige,” Cal indicated for her to go first.





*~*~*~*





The table was set for the five of them when Paige walked in. Victor was standing in the kitchen doorway while Selma talked to Vick.

“Vick, have you seen my scarf? The one with red flowers in the black lace, I can’t find it anywhere. I know how it fascinates you every time you see it.”