Lisa laughed and sucked up a few of the chocolate soaked marshmallows. “Listening helps, but I’d like to know what you think, too.”
“Okay. Then my opinion is screw what anyone else thinks about your abilities or what you should do. You know what you’re capable of and you know what you want. You want this combined program? You go for it, and if they don’t select you then they’re idiots. Sure, know what your backup position is, but don’t hesitate to go for what you want because someone else thinks it might be too much. I’ve seen how hard you work and how talented you are. I think you should do it.”
Lisa stared at him, the fervor in his voice captivating her. He got passionate in their discussions, sure, and downright ranty about bad books, but this was a different level and it was about…her. She opened her mouth to respond but stopped as her phone started buzzing and bouncing across the table. She grabbed for it and glanced at the screen. It was her five minute warning that she had to get to her next class. She’d started setting it after they’d talked through trig last week. “Crap.” She drained the rest of her hot chocolate and wrapped the muffin in a napkin before adding it to the top of her backpack.
He stayed where he was, watching her pack up; his Friday schedule only had two classes in it so he didn’t have to rush. He chuckled, though his gaze was still serious. “So did that help?”
Lisa shrugged into her coat and picked up her bag, pulling it over her shoulder. “More than you know.” She hesitated, feeling her heart pounding and her stomach flip flopping. Before she could talk herself out of it, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thanks,” she muttered, not believing she’d just done that. She had lost her mind. Lisa darted away before he could respond, hurrying through the food court and dodging other students. She wasn’t running. She had no reason to run away, but she didn’t look over her shoulder either, afraid of what she might see.
22
Jason swept the large LED flashlight in front of him, illuminating the edges of the trail. Given his experience with being in the outdoors, he’d volunteered to lead groups of students from the parking lot below up to the observation point. It was almost time for the lecture to start, but he’d seen a few more headlights pull in. There was time for him to bring one more group up, and he was hoping Lisa was in one of those cars. He’d offered her a ride, but he’d had to come early enough that she’d declined, promising she’d find a ride to get there before the class lecture started.
As he came around the last bend he heard voices, two of them surprisingly familiar. He stepped into the lot to find Lisa and Connor walking toward the trail head with three other students, chatting softly. Lisa was bundled up, the way she always was. She really didn’t like the cold, a fact which, given she was determined to go to school in Colorado, amused him.
She laughed at something Connor said, a sound Jason always enjoyed. He didn’t enjoy Connor bumping her shoulder with an easy familiarity and stepped forward, motioning with his light. “Hey guys, this way.”
Connor grinned at him. “Hey, Dude. Nice night for a star gazing class.”
“Yeah, it is.” Jason waved the way toward the path. “It’s just up here a little ways.” The students started up the path and he fell in next to his cousin and Lisa. “So why are you here, Connor? You suddenly decide to enroll?”
Connor laughed, shaking his hair out of his face. He pulled a beanie hat out of the pocket of his coat and pulled it on his head. “Naw. I just like helping a pretty girl out.”
“Huh, since when?”
Lisa stepped up between them, making a face at Jason. “Oh be nice. I needed a ride, and when I called Beth she was busy, but he was visiting and volunteered.”
Jason remembered there were other students and made sure to flash the light forward so they could see where they were going. “Yeah, that makes sense. How’s Beth doing?”
“Determined.” Lisa sounded amused.
“Do I want to know what she’s determined about?”
“Making sure Charles’s fiancée, and anyone else that might ever think about dating him, is aware of what kind of jerk he is.”
Jason whistled low, waving the flashlight again and making sure no one stepped off of the path. “He really had no idea how much trouble he was asking for when he screwed with her.”
Lisa shrugged, the amusement leaving her voice. “She’s still in the planning and thinking phases. I think he deserves whatever she comes up with.”
Jason had dated enough women to hear the warning in the words. Charles had made the mistake of dumping not only Beth, but Lisa too. He probably deserved even worse than being run over by the female talking network, and it wasn’t Jason’s place to try to fix it for them. That would just turn their ire on him, something he definitely didn’t want.
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Connor spoke up. “So, um, what are you all doing up here anyway? You said it was for a class?”
Lisa turned toward him, answering before Jason had a chance. “Yeah. I thought I explained what was going on.”
“You might have. I was eating when you called and kinda not paying much attention beyond the ‘I need a ride part’.”
She chuckled and Jason thought she might have rolled her eyes. “It’s for an astronomy class. We’re doing some constellation identification, directional navigation, and time shifts by naked eye, telescope, and camera. We’ll be up here for a couple hours. I know I told you that part, and I’m sure I can get a ride back. You don’t have to stay.”
Jason jumped in quickly. “I can take her home. Campus Tower is on my way.” He normally liked his cousin and he was glad Lisa hadn’t had to call a rideshare, but some part of him couldn’t help but flash back to the Halloween party and how he’d felt that night. He didn’t want to resent his cousin, but he’d be fine if Connor went home now.
Connor looked at him over Lisa’s head. “I don’t mind hanging out. It’s a nice night.” He chuckled and waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe I’ll get inspired to start classes again. No lack of chicks up here, right?”
Lisa scowled, as Jason knew she would. They’d had plenty of discussions about the portrayal of women in the books they read, not to mention in society in general, and while they didn’t agree on everything, ‘chicks’ was a term that was right out.
“If you’re going to call girls ‘chicks’ then you can turn right around and tromp back down the trail before one of them kicks your ass, Connor. I can guarantee they won’t be interested in dating if you can’t prove that you’re not a Neanderthal.”
One of the girls father up the path glanced over her shoulder at Connor and nodded. “What she said.”
“We’re not honeys, chicks, babes, or whatever other nickname you can come up with off the top of your head. It’s just…rude.” Lisa’s tone was fervent, but not loud. It didn’t have to be to get her point across.
Connor tilted his head, actually looking thoughtful about the whole thing. “Okay, so explain why my Uncle Steve gets to call Aunt Bev ‘sugar biscuit’ and she thinks it’s cute?”
Jason leaned a little closer to the conversation, remembering to illuminate the path for everyone. It would only be another minute before they joined the group, but he was just as curious as Connor was. He had his own thoughts, but he’d also learned not to interrupt when Lisa was on a good rant. He’d get his turn if he waited for it. If he talked over her it just pissed her off.
“Because they’re in a relationship. The rules are different once you are connected to each other like that. If we were seriously dating then we might end up with sweet names for each other and it’d be fine because the relationship was already established. It’s the same way that Beth can call Jason ‘loser’ and they think it’s funny and not offensive. Coming from anyone else that just wouldn’t be acceptable.”
“Huh. Okay, say I buy that, how come some girls seem to like it?”
Jason glanced at Connor, surprised by the sincerity of the question. When it came to women Connor had
always been pretty flippant, but this was a serious side to him Jason was unfamiliar with. Lisa looked just as surprised, her eyebrows rising until they almost brushed where her ear warmer ran across her forehead.
“Good question. Some girls just don’t care. Or they don’t feel like it’s a big deal what someone calls them and any attention is better than none. A lot of girls don’t like it, but they’re afraid if they tell you to stop you won’t even look at them anymore much less want to date them. And the worst ones are when a girls is afraid the guy will yell or lash out if she tells him to stop.”
The girls on the trail ahead of them were very quiet, but Jason could tell they were listening.
“I wouldn’t do that. I just…I’m mostly trying to be funny.”
Jason flicked the flashlight off as they hit the edge of the clearing. He didn’t want to make anyone night blind with it, and the rest of the students were mulling around with the help of small lanterns that provided enough light to keep people from tripping, but not so much they couldn’t see the stars.
He looked at his cousin. “Girls like funny, but it has to be funny that isn’t at their expense.” He thought back to the moment when Lisa had kissed his cheek. He still wasn’t entirely sure what that gesture had meant—and there hadn’t been a good way to bring it up again since Lisa seemed determined to pretend it didn’t happen—but he remembered the warmth and approval he knew came from it. “And they like supportive, caring, and protective just as much as long as you do it right.”
Connor sighed, looking up at the star strewn sky above them. “Women are complex creatures.”
Lisa laughed and nudged Connor in the ribs. “Yes, we are. But anything worth having is worth working for.” She let her backpack slide off her shoulder, catching the strap with one hand. Her attention moved to Jason. “I’ll get the paperwork if you want to find seats for us.” She offered him the bag, which was very full, but unusually light. “There’s a blanket in there to go on the chairs. I don’t want to freeze my butt off.”
She moved toward the table where there were star gazing packets and started gathering papers.
Connor shook his head, laughing under his breath. “Guess I’ll go find something to drink and someone to talk to, Loser. Enjoy your stargazing.”
“Whatever, Jerk.”
The two of them grinned and moved off in opposite directions. Jason wanted to further argue over who was going to take Lisa home, but he decided that problem would figure itself out when the time came. He found a couple of seats slightly off to one side of where the professor and the telescope were and pulled out the thick blanket Lisa had brought with her. It was dark red and fuzzy and smelled like the unique combination of laundry soap and lavender Jason always associated with Lisa. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was one of the blankets from her bed and pictured her curled up in the cozy thing, reading a book. It was a rather satisfying mental image.
He spread the blankets over the chairs, just as Lisa approached, papers in one hand and two cups held by the rims in the other. She offered him the cup and settled in as the lecture began, a warm, familiar presence at his side. After about five minutes Connor settled on her other side, though he didn’t say anything which allowed Jason to pretend his cousin wasn’t there.
Jason did his best to listen, watching the sky and picking out the star patterns and the bright dot that was Venus on the rise. He noted the position of Cassiopeia, glancing at Lisa’s papers which had similar star sketches, but also notations of relative angles, distances and relationships to the other stars. She was definitely going to get a better grade than he was, a thought which didn’t bother him.
As the class continued he found himself distracted by the beauty of the spot as much as the details of the starfield and a thought nagged at the back of his brain. He and Lisa were friends. Close friends even. Was there a nickname he was allowed to call her? He pondered the question, trying to think of anything that would fit her.
By the time they broke into groups to use the telescope and binoculars he still hadn’t come up with anything.
Lisa held the blanket close over her shoulders, trying not to yawn as she joined the throng headed back to the parking lot. It was late and she was freezing despite the layers of coat and scarf and blanket and she really wanted to get home into the warmth of her own bed, but she was pleased with the evening overall. It was one thing to see stars and planets in slideshows and videos, but looking out into the universe through the telescope lens had been amazing. For a moment she’d almost considered adding another major, but she already had too much going on managing math and biotech, much less astronomy. Not to mention how everything would change if she got into the U of D program. She’d turned in the paperwork not quite a week ago and now everything was just a matter of waiting.
When she thought about the possibilities she was excited, but—like she’d told her mom—also reluctant. She liked her life here. She liked the people here. It would be a big change to move again. Not as big as coming to Colorado from Arizona, but Denver was thirty miles away. That thirty miles could mean nothing or everything when it came to keeping in contact with her friends.
Her gaze went to Jason, who was at the front of the group leading the way down the mountain. He walked with such easy confidence despite the cold and the dark, chatting with those around him and lighting the path. She’d learned over the last few months that Jason might not always know what he wanted to do, but once he decided on something he did it really well and with all his focus. He was doing great in class and Beth said he was the best ski instructor Snow Boulder had ever had. Lisa admitted that Beth might be a little biased, but she still believed the conclusion.
So if she went away, would he focus on coming to visit, or would his focus move onto something or someone else? There was a thought her tired brain didn’t like.
The group came around the corner and into the parking lot, everyone quickly moving for the eventual warmth of their cars. Jason’s truck was front and center and he’d stopped there, talking to Connor and a couple of the women from the class.
As she approached Jason shot her a grin. “We were just talking about going to the Piano Bar for last call. Are you in?”
Lisa hesitated for a moment and then grinned in response, tilting her head to one side. “That depends, are we going to the one with dueling pianos or ZZ Top? I’d love to dig into a fried onion. I’m sure eating that much grease at this time of night won’t give me nightmares.”
Jason stared at her for an instant and then busted up laughing. He unlocked the truck and opened the passenger side door. “Okay, everyone, you heard the lady. Fried onions and ZZ Top band covers it is.”
23
Jason squinted at the road in front of him, glad he’d gotten new snow tires a couple days ago. By this time of year usually the snow pack was decreasing, and Boulder itself usually only got a couple inches, but Saturday had been unusual with a driving storm that had whipped through and dumped a crap-ton of snow on everyone. After shoveling his folk’s driveway and walks, driving up to the lodge wasn’t what he’d planned to do with his Sunday, but one of Uncle Donald’s alarms had gone off this morning too. There was something in one of the live traps in the lodge. No one was scheduled to be up there again until Spring Break and no one wanted whatever it was to die.
He shot a glance at his sleeping passenger, still not sure how he’d gotten wrangled into not only making the drive but taking Connor with him. Actually, he knew how he’d gotten talked into going, that was all his mother’s doing. The phrases ‘your truck will get through the snow’ and ‘keeping your father off the road’ had featured heavily in the discussion. He wasn’t so clear on how Connor had ended up in the passenger seat. Jason had gone out to get on the road and Connor had pulled in seconds later and loaded into the truck. He’d fallen asleep about ten minutes into the drive, but – to his credit – he’d brought muffins and coffee.
The thought of the muffins made Jason hungry again an
d he pulled another one out of the box without looking away from the road. He wasn’t sure why he was grumpy with Connor. He usually liked his cousin, but since watching Connor spend all night flirting with Lisa he wasn’t nearly as fond of the man.
And it wasn’t like anything had happened between Connor and Lisa. They weren’t dating or anything, as far as Jason knew anyway. He’d just tried to buy her drinks, which she’d waved off, and tried to snitch from her fried onion, which she’d defended viciously. He’d even won the right to take her home. So why did Lisa and Connor talking bug him?
He slammed on the brakes, realizing that in his musing he’d over shot the entry to the lodge parking lot. The truck slid for several yards, but it was built for this and the anti-lock brakes did their job bringing them to a quick halt without even a threat of spin out, which was just as well given the narrow canyon roads. He liked his truck and hitting a rock would suck.
Connor startled. “Whoa, Dude! What was that? Did we hit something?” He blinked, sitting up straight and blinking.
“Sorry. Didn’t hit anything, just overshot the gate.” Jason put the truck in reverse and backed slowly down the road to the turn off. It was snow packed, but even up here it was fluffy light stuff that, with the help of 4-wheel drive, the truck would make short work of. He pulled into the turn off and Connor, without prompting, jumped out of the truck and worked the gate, letting them through before securing it again.
Discovering You (Miller Lodge Romance Book 1) Page 10