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.Naturally, Callista wanted to get out, and Kirsten wanted her to stay, but it seemed kind of moot until Callista figured out what she was going to do for work.She’d gone to NAU and graduated this past June with a degree in English, but hadn’t quite decided what to do next.At the moment she was working two part-time jobs, one at the UFO Depot, the store my mother still owned, although she hadn’t put in hours there for years, and the other at a wine-tasting shop uptown, which sounded like a fun part-time gig to me, although maybe not a real career choice.Anyway, it seemed clear enough to me that Callista wanted to strike out on her own, even if she wasn’t completely ready, and Kirsten was doing the typical mom thing in wanting to keep her at home.I knew they’d figure it out eventually, but I could sympathize.Yes, I’d made a pretty clean break, since I’d gone to school halfway across the state, but my mother had kept hinting that I was welcome to come back anytime.On one occasion I’d remarked that it was a little silly for her to be getting all concerned about her empty nest, considering she still had three children living at home.She hadn’t appreciated that comment very much, but it was only the truth.Melissa, at eighteen, was most likely not going anywhere anytime soon, and it would probably take a few pounds of C4 to dislodge Kevin from his room.Kelsey I wasn’t so sure about; she’d gotten her associate’s degree from the local community college but had been waffling about where to go to continue her education.I had a feeling she’d end up at NAU, not just because it was the closest university to Sedona, but because Michael Oliver was doing his post-grad work there.Good luck with that, sis, I thought.He hadn’t shown much interest in her, but then again, he didn’t seem interested in much of anything lately other than getting his doctorate, and who could blame him? If he actually did want to settle down at some point, he had plenty of time after he was finished with school.No point in causing himself any unnecessary distractions right now.“…going to the spa the day after tomorrow?” my mother was saying, and I blinked.“What?”She lifted an eyebrow at my obvious woolgathering, but only said, “We’re all still meeting at Sedona Rouge the day after tomorrow, right? When do you have to be back in Flagstaff?”“Not until the thirtieth,” I replied.The girls’ spa day out had completely slipped my mind.It was another tradition, one where all of the “womenfolk,” as Kevin liked to refer to us, would get together and go to one of the numerous spas around town for a day of pampering.I’d always enjoyed it, although I’d never been much of one for the whole massage thing…I had issues with someone I didn’t know touching me.But I’d still get a facial, and my nails done, and we’d all have lunch and have a good time relaxing after the holiday was over.The guys would all go out, too, although not for pedicures.No, they’d pile in Lance’s Jeep and go four-wheeling, then find a remote spot where they could play target practice with empty cans and bottles.I never saw the appeal, but then again, they probably didn’t understand why we needed to take a whole day to have our nails painted and get photo-facials or whatever.Would they try to get Logan to come along on one of those shoot-’em-up testosterone-fests? That could be awkward….“Then that should work out just fine,” my mother said, and I had to remind myself that she was thinking of my return to Flagstaff, not what might or might not happen if I left Logan alone with my stepfather and the rest of the guys for a whole day.Beside me, Logan shifted in his chair, and I could almost feel a pulse of worry coming from him, as if he was wondering what he’d be doing while I went off with the girls.I reached under the table and gave his leg a quick reassuring squeeze, and he nodded slightly.Thank God he knew enough not to start asking questions now, in front of everybody.Across the table, my Aunt Kirsten gave a quick flicker of a glance at Martin, and he responded with the smallest shake of his head, one I probably wouldn’t have even noticed if I hadn’t been watching for it.I had no idea what that was about, and had to hope it was completely unrelated to anything Logan or I might have done.“Oh, sure,” I said.“I’m really looking forward to it.” And I actually had been…up until the day before yesterday.But if anyone noted any falseness in my reply, they didn’t seem to give any indication of it.The conversation ebbed and flowed, and Logan was quiet during most of it, responding when someone asked him a question directly, but otherwise just listening to what everyone else was saying.It didn’t even feel strange, because I thought most people in a similar situation would have done the same thing, even if they didn’t also happen to be hybrid soldiers attempting to masquerade as mild-mannered IT professionals.At last, though, we’d all stuffed ourselves on ham and my mother’s to-die-for potatoes au gratin, and asparagus and pear compote and everything else that guaranteed I wouldn’t want to look at another holiday dinner again until next year.I noticed that Logan was very careful with the wine, having only a glass and a half…and I also noticed that Lance had watched him closely to see how much he was drinking, and seemed somewhat impressed with my date’s temperance.Good thing he hadn’t seen him last night….Dessert was black forest cake, rather than pie, and I could tell Logan was impressed by that, too.After finishing his slice of cake, he asked, “Do you all eat like this all the time?”I knew his question was more general, that after seeing what people were whipping up on the cooking shows on TV and then eating one of my mother’s holiday meals, he probably had the mistaken impression that humans feasted like this every day of the year.Luckily, though, my mother didn’t take his question that way at all, but only laughed and said, “Oh, hell no [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Naturally, Callista wanted to get out, and Kirsten wanted her to stay, but it seemed kind of moot until Callista figured out what she was going to do for work.She’d gone to NAU and graduated this past June with a degree in English, but hadn’t quite decided what to do next.At the moment she was working two part-time jobs, one at the UFO Depot, the store my mother still owned, although she hadn’t put in hours there for years, and the other at a wine-tasting shop uptown, which sounded like a fun part-time gig to me, although maybe not a real career choice.Anyway, it seemed clear enough to me that Callista wanted to strike out on her own, even if she wasn’t completely ready, and Kirsten was doing the typical mom thing in wanting to keep her at home.I knew they’d figure it out eventually, but I could sympathize.Yes, I’d made a pretty clean break, since I’d gone to school halfway across the state, but my mother had kept hinting that I was welcome to come back anytime.On one occasion I’d remarked that it was a little silly for her to be getting all concerned about her empty nest, considering she still had three children living at home.She hadn’t appreciated that comment very much, but it was only the truth.Melissa, at eighteen, was most likely not going anywhere anytime soon, and it would probably take a few pounds of C4 to dislodge Kevin from his room.Kelsey I wasn’t so sure about; she’d gotten her associate’s degree from the local community college but had been waffling about where to go to continue her education.I had a feeling she’d end up at NAU, not just because it was the closest university to Sedona, but because Michael Oliver was doing his post-grad work there.Good luck with that, sis, I thought.He hadn’t shown much interest in her, but then again, he didn’t seem interested in much of anything lately other than getting his doctorate, and who could blame him? If he actually did want to settle down at some point, he had plenty of time after he was finished with school.No point in causing himself any unnecessary distractions right now.“…going to the spa the day after tomorrow?” my mother was saying, and I blinked.“What?”She lifted an eyebrow at my obvious woolgathering, but only said, “We’re all still meeting at Sedona Rouge the day after tomorrow, right? When do you have to be back in Flagstaff?”“Not until the thirtieth,” I replied.The girls’ spa day out had completely slipped my mind.It was another tradition, one where all of the “womenfolk,” as Kevin liked to refer to us, would get together and go to one of the numerous spas around town for a day of pampering.I’d always enjoyed it, although I’d never been much of one for the whole massage thing…I had issues with someone I didn’t know touching me.But I’d still get a facial, and my nails done, and we’d all have lunch and have a good time relaxing after the holiday was over.The guys would all go out, too, although not for pedicures.No, they’d pile in Lance’s Jeep and go four-wheeling, then find a remote spot where they could play target practice with empty cans and bottles.I never saw the appeal, but then again, they probably didn’t understand why we needed to take a whole day to have our nails painted and get photo-facials or whatever.Would they try to get Logan to come along on one of those shoot-’em-up testosterone-fests? That could be awkward….“Then that should work out just fine,” my mother said, and I had to remind myself that she was thinking of my return to Flagstaff, not what might or might not happen if I left Logan alone with my stepfather and the rest of the guys for a whole day.Beside me, Logan shifted in his chair, and I could almost feel a pulse of worry coming from him, as if he was wondering what he’d be doing while I went off with the girls.I reached under the table and gave his leg a quick reassuring squeeze, and he nodded slightly.Thank God he knew enough not to start asking questions now, in front of everybody.Across the table, my Aunt Kirsten gave a quick flicker of a glance at Martin, and he responded with the smallest shake of his head, one I probably wouldn’t have even noticed if I hadn’t been watching for it.I had no idea what that was about, and had to hope it was completely unrelated to anything Logan or I might have done.“Oh, sure,” I said.“I’m really looking forward to it.” And I actually had been…up until the day before yesterday.But if anyone noted any falseness in my reply, they didn’t seem to give any indication of it.The conversation ebbed and flowed, and Logan was quiet during most of it, responding when someone asked him a question directly, but otherwise just listening to what everyone else was saying.It didn’t even feel strange, because I thought most people in a similar situation would have done the same thing, even if they didn’t also happen to be hybrid soldiers attempting to masquerade as mild-mannered IT professionals.At last, though, we’d all stuffed ourselves on ham and my mother’s to-die-for potatoes au gratin, and asparagus and pear compote and everything else that guaranteed I wouldn’t want to look at another holiday dinner again until next year.I noticed that Logan was very careful with the wine, having only a glass and a half…and I also noticed that Lance had watched him closely to see how much he was drinking, and seemed somewhat impressed with my date’s temperance.Good thing he hadn’t seen him last night….Dessert was black forest cake, rather than pie, and I could tell Logan was impressed by that, too.After finishing his slice of cake, he asked, “Do you all eat like this all the time?”I knew his question was more general, that after seeing what people were whipping up on the cooking shows on TV and then eating one of my mother’s holiday meals, he probably had the mistaken impression that humans feasted like this every day of the year.Luckily, though, my mother didn’t take his question that way at all, but only laughed and said, “Oh, hell no [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]