Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
“No. It’s really high. I’m kinda afraid of high places.” My eyes darted up. There was a tall staircase in the corner, heading to an upper deck that circled the entire dome with a railing.
It’d made my belly dip like crazy to watch Ollie go up there to dive off the tall diving board. But Ollie’s grandfather had been watching too and hadn’t stopped him. In fact, when I asked, “Are you sure he’s okay to do that?” Ollie Sr. waved dismissively but had a big smile, like he appreciated my concern or found my concern amusing.
“The slide is great. C’mon,” Zane tugged my hand and led me out of the pool and over to that winding staircase.
“Eek. I don’t like this,” I muttered as he tugged me up the stairs.
“I’ve got you,” he vowed, looking directly in my eyes.
“Okay,” I whispered. We passed a landing that stopped at a diving board, another landing at a higher diving board, and kept climbing all the way to the top, near the roof, and I felt like I was at an indoor water park. I’d gone to one once with work for a team party and spent most of my day in the wave pool or on the deck, always too afraid to go up on those decks to jump on the giant slides. Zane holding my hand gave me a strange sense of being protected.
Zane sat down, pulling me in front of him so I sat between his legs, and then as I was expressing my “I don’t know about this, Zane,” he turned a knob on the top of the orange slide and more water washed through it, sending us flying before I had a chance to get the rest of my objection out.
The regular Earth Tanya would’ve balked, made excuses, told whoever was trying to coax her up a tall staircase to a waterslide anything she could to get out of it.
Phallyx Tanya let Zane lead, following along all starry-eyed.
I squealed as we took off at breakneck speed and held tight to his wrists. He had both arms around me, one at my middle, one around my chest.
We twirled around for four rotations before we were spit into the pool, laughing.
“That was awesome,” I hollered.
I liked Phallyx Tanya.
My throat went hoarse because of my squealing and my face hurt from all the smiling.
“Awesome!” Ollie parroted from the shallow end, where he was thrown by Marko into the deeper end and then swam over to us.
“That’s fun, right?” he asked, as he got to me.
“So much fun,” I agreed. “I’m doing it again. Are you coming with me?”
“Heck yeah!” he replied enthusiastically. “We have another slide that circles three times around the ceiling with air power before it drops you into the deep end. It’s great.”
“Oh. I think this one is crazy enough for me for today.”
Ollie followed me up and we went down together, like Zane and I had, me in the back and Ollie nestled between my legs.
The slide spat me extra far, this time, and pretty much right into Zane’s wet arms. His arms were around me and I was laughing. Ollie was treading water beside us.
“I’m starving now. Is the stuff here to make those cheeseburgers and shakes?” I asked.
“Should be. Let’s go tell the kitchen to make them,” Zane said.
I followed him out of the pool and to the tablet that sat on the table beside Chili’s little crate and two spent baby bottles.
I got under the vent while Zane ordered everything, consulting between his phone screen and the house tablet. While under the vent, my hair getting blown every which way, Marko was at the edge of the pool with his chin resting on his forearm, staring at me with stars in his teenaged eyes. I felt very self-conscious about that, so I immediately put my coverup on over my bathing suit.
“Oh, Mr. Zenith?” I called out to Ollie Sr., who walked by me, looking like he was headed down the hall toward the kitchen. Or the bathroom.
“Ollie, if you like. Or… what is it you call a father-in-law on Earth?”
“Dad. Pops. Something like that…” I shrugged.
“Pops? Like the sound.”
“If it translates…” I said. His mouth looked correct when he said “Pops”
“I like that. Pops.”
“Okay,” I said with a giggle. “Um, how old are Zorald’s grandsons?”
“They’re five and fourteen. They had two sisters who would be eleven and seven, but they were lost, along with their mother. Their father was already dead, that’s why Zorold is raising them.”
“That’s so sad,” my heart ached.
“Any reason you ask?”
“Marko has been very…um…”
“A typical hormonal teenage boy? I’ve seen him watching you non-stop.”
“Yes.” I smiled. “I’m sure it’s strange for all of you to have me around.”
“It’s wonderful, Tanya. It truly is. I’m only hopeful that you’re here to stay.”