Nikki was going crazy waiting for Indiana.

She had been over the moon with excitement when he told her he’d been invited to the real poker game, but the more she considered it, the more she realized that she hadn’t really thought it all the way through.

Indiana had such a cool, confident way about him.

But by Earth’s social standards he was practically a baby.

She couldn’t help feeling like she had sent a lamb into the lions’ den.

Honey, Addy, Kitt and Remington all sat around the sofa in the women’s cabin, laughing and playing a card game. They didn’t comment when Nikki decided not to join them.

But when she started pacing, Honey finally spoke up.

“Hey, is everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” Nikki replied brightly. “I think I’m going to go for a walk.”

She set out before they could ask any follow-up questions.

Nikki walked down to the lake, all the way to the boathouse and grabbed a canoe.

The physical work of getting it into the water and paddling out from the shore made her start to feel better right away. The cool night air was a distraction, too.

She got the boat well into the lake, and around the island to the town side of it. Her cell phone reception was better out here and the line of sight gave her total privacy with the island blocking the view to Maxwell’s.

Besides, it was best not to be able to see the glow of the lights up in the Crow’s Nest at the lodge if she wanted to remain calm.

She meant to call one of her sisters and ask about the kids, she really did.

But instead she found her fingers dancing out her mentor’s number.

Nala picked up immediately.

“Nikki,” she said. “Is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me.” Nikki smiled at the sound of the other woman’s voice. Just talking to her made Nikki feel grounded in the real world - the world outside Maxwell’s, outside her own life, where everything was normal and decisions were easy.

“How’s it going?” Nala sounded justifiably suspicious. Nikki didn’t normally call so late.

“Kind of crazy,” Nikki said.

“Go on.”

“Well, he figured out what I am,” she admitted.

“Indiana?”

“Yes,” she said, realizing she was probably giving herself away by referring to the main ‘he’ in her life so casually. “Indiana.”

“How did this happen?”

“Well, for a lot of reasons,” Nikki said. “But mostly he was just paying attention. And he followed me one day. I guess anyone who was suspicious of me would probably figure it out. I’m just an undercover journalist, not a trained Russian spy.”

Nala laughed. “Well, it was a good run, baby,” she told Nikki. “But I guess you’ll be home soon.”

“No,” Nikki said.

“Your cover is blown,” Nala said.

“He knows why I came in the first place,” Nikki said. “But he doesn’t know about my alien article.”

“Oh,” Nala said. Nikki could practically hear her mentor’s wheels turning in the silence that followed.

“He’s helping me,” Nikki added.

“Oh, Nikki, be careful,” the older woman said mournfully.

“He would never betray me,” Nikki said.

Nala made a noncommittal sound, somewhere between a grunt and a sigh.

Nikki began to think about the day at the pavilion, how oddly Indy had been acting. Maybe he was having second thoughts…

“You’re on dangerous ground,” Nala said.

If she only knew. But no way was Nikki going to share that she had practically slept with him too. Though her mentor was intuitive enough she wondered if she knew already.

“Do you hear me?” Nala sounded very worried. “I want you to be careful.”

“Yes,” Nikki said. “I will, I promise.”

And in her own head, she promised she would put the romance on ice. Nala was right, she needed to cool it, at least until they had evidence on Travers.

She’s your mentor. She’s been around the block. You need to think with your head, not your heart, Nikki.

It was good advice.

But the thought made her feel hollow inside.