Posey Quinn paced the dining room of the old observatory. She was far enough along in her pregnancy that pacing was difficult, if not downright treacherous.

On the bright side, the gigantic baby she and Bond were expecting was, for once, not kicking and carrying on in her belly. She figured he must be content knowing that someone was scrambling around.

She glanced back down at the cell phone she clutched in her hand and promptly barked her shin on one of the benches.

“Ow,” she winced.

“Please sit down, Posey,” her friend Rima urged her, patting the cushion of the window seat beside her.

“What are we going to do if she doesn’t call me?” Posey could hardly put the words together. She and her friends had done something risky. It would be horrible if it were all for nothing.

“You said you trust her,” her other friend Georgia said coolly from her seat at the head of the table. “So I trust her too. She’ll call you. She’ll do what we need her to do.”

That was true. Honey was a good friend. She and Posey had been roommates at Tarker’s Hollow College their freshman year. Honey wasn’t exactly what you might call book smart, but she was great with people and loyal as they came.

Posey took a deep breath.

Her phone came to life in her hand, and she answered it before the end of the first ring.

“Honey.”

“Posey?” Honey’s familiar voice sounded worried.

“Thank you so much for calling me.”

“Of course,” Honey said immediately. “What’s up?”

Georgia shook her head vehemently.

Damn.

Ever since the aliens had become a very public presence, Posey, Georgia Rima and their alien mates had been hounded by the press and scrutinized by the government. There was no telling if lines were tapped.

Posey had always been a fan of outrageous conspiracy stories. Now that she was living one, they didn’t seem quite as glamorous anymore.

Posey was going to have to be subtle.

“Honey, I wanted to let you know that I’ve sent three new guys to Maxwell’s,” she said, pausing.

If Honey had been paying attention to the news at all, she would think about the three alien guys who had been all over it lately.

“Oh,” Honey said, sounding surprised. “That’s nice. Are they friends of yours or something?”

Damn it.

“Yes,” Posey said. “Well… they’re cousins of mine, really, cousins in law.”

That ought to do it. She’d be lucky if anyone listening in didn’t catch on.

“Well, great,” Honey said, without missing a beat. “I’ll be sure to look out for them, show them the ropes.”

Posey allowed herself to hope, for a moment, that the message had come across.

“Thank you,” she said in a heartfelt way. “They’re very shy. I would hate to think of them being in a new place alone with no friends.”

“Oh,” Honey said, sounding completely confused. “But if there are three of them, they all know each other. Plus there are lots of activities.”

Nope, she didn’t get it.

“They’re going to be on staff,” Posey said. “I spoke with a man there called Malik, he’s giving them jobs in the dining room - busboys or waiters maybe.”

“Well, I’ll keep an eye out for them,” Honey said.

“Make sure you do,” Posey said, pausing significantly.

“What do you mean?” Honey asked, sounding mystified.

“Oh nothing, just, you know, look out for them,” Posey said weakly.

“Look Posey, subtlety isn’t really my thing,” Honey said. “If there’s something you want to say you might need to spell it out. You’re not hoping to like, fix me up with one of them or something, are you?”

“Um, you might really like one of them,” Posey said immediately. “Might even be a good summer to fall in love.”

There was a pause. Posey allowed herself to hope that her friend was getting it.

“No,” Honey said sadly, “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?” Posey said, forgetting her mission for a moment to worry about her friend.

“Oh, I just seem to have bad taste in men,” Honey laughed. But she didn’t sound like she thought it was funny.

“Not this summer,” Posey assured her. “This summer you’re going to meet ‘the One’.”

“Easy for you to say,” Honey chuckled, sincerely this time. “I can’t believe you guys are having a baby, you just met him.”

“It’s easy when you meet the right guy,” Posey said fondly.

“Shoot, I’ve gotta run. My next student is coming in. Can I catch up with you later?”

“Sure,” Posey agreed.

“Great, I’ll keep an eye out for your cousins,” Honey added, hanging up before Posey could even tell her their names.

Posey slipped the phone back into her pocket and then met the anxious eyes of her friends.

“I don’t think she got it,” she told them. “But she’s a good egg. She’ll figure it out and she’ll help them.”

I hope.