Flopping onto the couch, Gil flipped through the TV channels. After a few minutes, she groaned. Hundreds of options, and nothing was interesting. Tossing the remote on her coffee table, she stood and peered out the window. Did Daniel feel himself dying?
Before she could change her mind, she tugged on a sweater and went out the door. William’s house was within easy walking distance. She’d stroll over and see if his lights were on. If they were, she’d ring the bell and ask for the violet. If not, she’d simply march on by and he’d never be the wiser. Either way, a breath of fresh air would do her good.
Walking quickly, she tried to out-distance her churning thoughts and erase the memory of Daniel’s final moments. Her steps slowed when she reached William’s house. She’d never been inside his home, and she wasn’t sure how he’d react to finding her on his doorstep. Now that she was there, she could think of a thousand reasons why she shouldn’t ring his doorbell and only one reason why she should—she wanted to see him.
His lights were on and there was a shadow moving behind his blinds. Before she could lose her nerve, she pressed the doorbell. As the sound of echoing chimes filled the air, she heard an alarming series of small crashes coming from within the house. She didn’t know what was happening, but it was obvious that she’d caught him off guard.
As she waited for William to open the door, she pinned on her most becoming smile—a smile that was transformed into a look of bewildered impatience as she was kept waiting. She tentatively rang the bell again. There was still no response. Just as she turned to leave, the door swung open. Gil’s jaw dropped. William’s beard was covered in orange paste, and he looked horribly embarrassed.
“What on earth happened?” she gasped, trying her best not to giggle.
“A blender accident,” he said ruefully. “I forgot to fasten the lid before I hit liquefy. I’ve managed to wash my face, but I’m afraid my beard’s still messy.”
“I’ll say it is. That funny paste is setting up like concrete. Seeing the state you’re in, I guess I’ll forgive you for not opening the door sooner.”
“Glad you understand,” he said, leaning up against the doorframe. “It was childish, but I didn’t want to let you in until I looked more presentable.”
Gil tried to hold back a laugh, but couldn’t manage it. “If this is presentable, you must’ve looked disastrous when I first rang the bell.”
“You can say that again.” William smiled. “Now, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I was taking a walk and thought I’d drop by and rescue the violet.”
“Come on in. I’ll get it for you.”
Gil passed inside and looked at his living room with frank curiosity. It was well decorated, but it also had a lived-in feel that made her instantly at ease.
“Make yourself at home,” he said. “The violet’s in the bedroom where it can get the morning light. I’ll go fetch it, and if you’ll give me a minute, I’ll see if I can scrape this gunk off my beard.”
“I think that’d be a good idea.” She laughed.
As he left the room, Gil wandered over to his entertainment center and looked at the photographs arranged on top. She could see faint dust lines where several frames had been removed. A giggle churned in her throat, fighting to get free. She’d bet her bottom dollar that his blender accident wasn’t the only reason he took so long to answer the door. She was sure that all the embarrassing photographs of him as a gawky teenager had just been consigned to a drawer. She looked around the tidy room—she’d also bet that he’d performed a frantic pick-up job on his living room. If she opened the door to the coat closet, she’d probably find a slug of newspapers and dirty dishes bursting to get free. When she heard him entering the room, violet in one hand and towel in the other, she took one look at his face and knew she was right.
She pointed at the photographs. “Where’d the rest of them go?”
He cleared his throat and placed the violet on the coffee table. “If you think I’m letting you see the baby picture of me in the bathtub, you’re not as smart as I thought.”
Gil allowed her eyes to twinkle at him as he dried his beard with the towel. “Let me guess,” she said. “Your mother thought every moment of your life needed to be photographically chronicled—even the embarrassing ones?”
“Especially the embarrassing ones.” He tossed the towel onto the back of a chair. “How’d you know I moved the pictures?”
“For a genius, you aren’t very bright.” She ran her finger over the entertainment center. “You forgot to dust. I can see the outlines of the missing frames. You shouldn’t try to fool me—you don’t stand a chance of succeeding.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Gil smiled and picked up a picture of a beautiful woman playing a violin. Cocking an eyebrow, she asked in a coy voice, “Your girlfriend?”
His lips twitched. “I don’t have a girlfriend. That’s my sister, Angelina.”
“The concert violinist?” Gil peered at the picture. “She’s a knockout. When was this taken?”
“Last Christmas—the night she played at Carnegie Hall for the first time.” He pointed at another picture. “That’s my brother, Alex.”
“Is that the cabin he’s been building?”
William nodded. “Over spring break, I flew to Colorado and helped him build his front porch. Angelina wanted to help, but she was stuck in L.A. giving a string of concerts. She sent Alex a unique housewarming gift, though.”
“Oh? What?”
He chuckled. “The ugliest-looking cookie jar you’ve ever seen. Considering Creekdale’s limited shops, Alex has me scouring D.C. flea markets in hopes of finding something equally ghastly for him to give her—but I think it’s a lost cause. I don’t know where Angelina found that cookie jar, but it’s sure a humdinger.”
Gil laughed and set Angelina’s picture back on the entertainment center. “Where are the pictures of your parents?”
“They’re down in the drawer. I don’t know why, but I always manage to look awful in family pictures.”
“Vain, are you?”
“Let’s just say a touch self-conscious.”
“All the time or just with me?”
He gave a sputter of laughter. “No comment.”
As she studied a picture of him with his coworkers, he asked, “How about your family? We’ve talked about so many things, but I don’t remember you mentioning them much. Any brothers or sisters?”
She shook her head. “I was an only child. It would’ve been nice to have some siblings. My parents traveled a lot.”
“They didn’t take you along?”
“Not after I turned ten. By that time, Mom and Dad thought I could fend for myself.”
“Ten is awfully young. Did they leave you often?”
“More than I liked and for days at a time. My friends used to envy me my freedom, but freedom isn’t much fun when it’s storming outside and the lights go out.”
“I can understand that.”
She looked at him curiously. “Why? Did your parents ignore you too?”
“Not at all. I had lots of cover to run to when I was younger.”
“That sounds nice. Your parents must be pretty wonderful.”
“They are. They’re flying to D.C. in a few weeks... Would you like to meet them?”
Her eyes flew to his face. “I’d like that.”
“I’ll make sure it happens.” He cleared his throat. “How about your parents, any chance they’ll be coming to D.C.?”
“They died my senior year of high school.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
He didn’t ask, but she could see the question in his eyes. She sighed. “They were touring the Rocky Mountains, and the brakes on their rental car failed. They didn’t stand a chance.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I’ll bet you miss them.”
“I suppose so, but really, by the time they died, they’d become strangers to me. I think I missed th
em more before their funeral than after it. At least when they were dead they had an excuse for ignoring me.” Hearing the bitter note in her voice, she bit her lip and shook her head. “I’m sorry, that sounds awful, doesn’t it?”
“No. Just truthful.”
She shrugged a shoulder and picked up a picture of a black-and-white collie. “This must be a special dog to rate his own frame.”
“He was. I was heartbroken when I left for college and had to leave him behind.”
“Did you eventually find an apartment that accepted pets?”
“In a manner of speaking. I couldn’t find a place that accepted dogs, but I found one that accepted other pets, and Iggy’s been with me ever since.”
“Iggy? Doc, if you ever get married, your wife had better name your children.” As William chuckled, she asked, “So what type of animal is Iggy? A fish or a bird?”
“Neither.” Giving her a wicked grin, he said, “Look down.”
Gil turned her attention to the floor and jumped about two feet in the air. Backing up against the entertainment center, she stared in horror at the iguana waddling toward her. Sputtering a bit, she asked, “What in the world is that...thing?”
“Thing?” William grinned and picked the lizard up in his arms. “Careful, Iggy’s sensitive. You’ll hurt his feelings.”
“It’s not his feelings I’m worried about—it’s his teeth.” Gil took a cautious step forward. “Does he bite?”
“Not usually.”
“That’s comforting,” she said dryly. “If I touch him, will I be minus a finger?”
“Doubtful. Iggy’s good tempered—just move slowly until he gets used to you.”
Wrinkling her nose, Gil extended a hesitant finger toward the lizard’s back. She scratched him gently and then grinned as the iguana seemed to close his eyes in pleasure.
“Like him?” William asked.
“His skin feels really weird, but I think he could grow on me.”
“Iggy’s probably thinking the same thing about you.” William chuckled. He set the lizard on the floor. “Now, why don’t you tell me why you came over tonight?”
“I came to get the violet.”
He shook his head and motioned for her to sit on the sofa. “We’ve been friends too long for me to be fooled by that excuse. Today upset you badly, didn’t it?”
“Not enough to quit,” she said quickly. “Just enough to have trouble turning things off.”
“You’re a compassionate person, it’s no wonder you’re having trouble winding down. What’s the one thing about today that’s bothering you most? If we talk about it, maybe we can make it seem less awful.”
“That’s doubtful.”
“Give it a try.”
“In that case, does dying by lethal injection hurt?”
“I don’t know, but the pentobarbital they gave Daniel should’ve blocked most of the pain. I’m sure he was out cold before he started having trouble breathing.”
Gil shuddered. “It was justice, but it definitely wasn’t pretty.”
“Death never is.”
“I guess I thought he would peacefully drift to sleep. I didn’t think I’d have to watch him struggling for air.”
“His body was dying. Struggle was inevitable.”
“I know.” She looked down as Iggy walked across her shoe. “Did it bother you too?”
“More than you know.”
She sighed and rubbed the lizard’s head. “Do you think I’ll be a good time counselor?”
“If I didn’t, I never would’ve recruited you.”
“I still don’t know why you did.”
“Let’s just say I saw something special in you and leave it at that, shall we?”
She let his cryptic comment slide. “Do you really think I’ll be able to help Daniel?”
“You’re going to pass your field exam with flying colors.” He stood to his feet. “But you’re never going to pass my written exam unless you get some sleep. It’s getting late.”
She groaned. “You should hear what last year’s seniors had to say about your final. Death by Examination and Cruel and Unusual Punishment were common themes.”
“I never promised to be easy on any of you—just fair. I want you to be prepared for whatever you may encounter on your time surfs. You’ll thank me later.”
She grinned a little. “That’s what all narcissistic dictators say. Napoleon, Nero, Stalin—”
“Watch it!” He grabbed his car keys. “Let me run you home.”
She shook her head. “It’s silly to drive—it’s just a step to my apartment.”
“You shouldn’t be walking alone this time of night.” He put the violet in her hands. “But I’m giving you fair warning—considering the state of my beard, I’m hiding behind you if we see anyone we know.”
“Will you give me extra credit for providing you with cover?”
“Not a chance,” he replied as they left his house, “but I may just spring for coffee on the day of your field exam.”
“Extra credit sounds better, but coffee will work. Hey, as long as we’re negotiating, what will you do if I pass my written exam tomorrow?”
“Die of shock.”
Laughing, Gil gave his shoulder a quick nudge. As he led her to his car, she studied the cute way his hair stood in an untamable tuft at the crown of his head. He started talking about Iggy, but she wasn’t paying attention.
Briefly closing her eyes, she concentrated on his voice. It was smooth as silk and deliciously husky. Just listening to it made her knees go weak. Gil silently groaned. This was a perfectly wretched time to realize she’d fallen in love!
CHAPTER FOUR
Gil looked at her test questions and nibbled her eraser. The questions were swimming in front of her eyes and trying to concentrate on them was murder. After all, who cared about oscillation rates of transverse timewaves with sinusoidal tendencies? What she cared about was the fact that William was looking scrumptious in a heather-gray suit. Her nose twitched appreciatively at the scent of his cologne. Even his beard looked better today. And his eyes…
Gil slowly studied his deep, brown eyes and melted a bit in her seat. Giving a gusty sigh, she put her pencil down and gazed at him. Suddenly, she saw William glowering at her. Gil sat up swiftly and peered at him in a startled fashion. His lips narrowed into a tight line as he tapped his watch. She got the point. Oscillation rates might not be as interesting as William’s eyes, but she’d better pay attention to them if she didn’t want to flunk.
* * *
Later, in the smothering quiet of Broglie Hall, William pulled Gil’s test from the stack in front of him and reached for his red pen. He hoped she hadn’t blown the exam. He could’ve wrung her neck when he caught her staring off into space instead of working on the test.
He groaned when he saw that her first three questions were incorrect because of silly mistakes. Where had her mind been? She knew better than to confuse wavelength and amplitude! If the rest of her test was as screwed up as her first few answers, she’d never pass.
Tossing his pen aside, William stood and paced around the empty classroom. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath and sat back down. When he saw that her answer for question four was correct, he began to relax. The minute hand of the black utility clock ticked away as he continued grading her paper. When he was finished, he gave a deep sigh. Eighty-six percent. She had passed.
* * *
Over in Hawking Hall, Gil entered the TEMCO lab with a tired groan. William’s final for Timewave Dynamics 805 had been worse than rumor reported. She really liked him, but his class wasn’t exactly a cakewalk.
Behind her, a cheerful voice called out, “Hey, Gil, did you survive?”
Looking over her shoulder at Ryan Adams, she groaned expressively.
“That bad?”
“Worse.”
Ryan chuckled. “Something for me to look forward to next year, huh?”
“Dread is more like it.”
Marc Kerry, another cadet in Ryan’s class, joined them and asked, “Was the Dynamics 805 final a killer?”
“Well,” Gil moaned, “I’m not dead, but I’m definitely maimed a little.”
Marc cracked his knuckles. “I was hoping to take Timewave Dynamics with Dr. Ableman next fall, but registration’s already full. I may have to take it from Dr. Moosly instead.”
Gil winced. “You have my pity. Doc’s classes are murder, but I’ve heard that Moosly’s are duller than ditchwater. I’ve avoided them like the plague.”
“I know, but what can I do? I want to get Timewave Dynamics finished before the spring push and my practicum field exam.”
“I can understand that. Leaving that killer class until my last semester was pretty stupid.” She paused. “You know, since I’m graduating, Doc’s gonna need a new teacher’s assistant. I’ll bet if you were his TA, he’d let you into one of his full classes in the fall. There’s always room for a folding chair in Broglie Hall if you look hard enough.”
“That’s good advice.” Marc gave her a cheesy grin. “So do you think you aced his class?”
“Not a chance,” Gil replied. “But hopefully, I pulled through with a B-.”
Seeing Crystal Stuart, a blonde woman with big glasses, walking over and hovering on the edge of their group, Gil asked, “So what are you three doing in the lab?”
“Extra credit,” Marc replied. “Director Matthews said we could help run the GAP Staging Platform when Zeke Masters comes home.”
Crystal spoke up excitedly, “I can’t wait to get my hands on the controls.”
“Even so, I don’t know why you’re here,” Ryan said with a smile. “We all know you’re pulling a 4.0.”
“I don’t care about the extra credit,” Crystal replied with sparkling eyes. “I want the experience. GAP fascinates me! Besides, I can’t wait to see Zeke. He—”
“Hey, Gil, why are you here?” Marc asked. “I would’ve thought that after Doc’s exam you’d be headed straight home for an aspirin and a nap.”
“I plan on taking both as soon as possible, but first I need to help the lab techs with the final calibration of Danny’s game cartridge. Director Matthews left me a message to come in today for another scan.”
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