Love Lessons

“The pizza smells really good,” she said, making a stab at polite chitchat.

“We should probably eat it while it’s still hot, and then study afterward, don’t you think?”

“That sounds good. What would you like to drink?” she asked, waving him toward the table.

“Do you have a cola?”

“Only diet, I’m afraid.”

“That’ll work. It wouldn’t hurt me to cut a few calories.”

She almost suspected him of saying that just to get her to look at his athletically built body. Even if that hadn’t been his intention, it was exactly what she did. Swallowing a comment about how he certainly didn’t have to worry about his weight—or anything else about his appearance, for that matter—she moved into the kitchen to fetch plates, napkins and two canned diet sodas.

Catherine had been a bit concerned that conversation might be awkward between herself and Mike while they ate, but Mike took care of that. He had a talent for making small talk that she could only envy. Somehow she found herself relaxing and responding almost as easily as she might have chatted with Karen and Julia.

“Tell me a little about yourself,” he urged as he reached for a second slice of pizza. “Where did you grow up? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Did you always want to be a scientist?”

She hesitated a moment to organize her thoughts before answering. “I was born in College Station, Texas, but we moved several times during the next dozen years. My parents are college professors, and they taught in Texas and Virginia and Georgia before settling in Florida when I was twelve. They both taught at Florida State University until Dad retired two years ago, and Mom retired last year. They’re spending six months in Beijing now on a cooperative teaching program with the university there. They’ve been there just over a month.”

“How exciting for them.”

“Yes, they were thrilled to have this opportunity.”

“No siblings?”

“No. My parents had given up on having children by the time I came along.” She remembered that he was the youngest of five siblings. She couldn’t imagine being a part of such a large family. Her own childhood had been quiet and orderly. She had never even had a pet before Norman.

“Was it lonely for you?”

“No, not really. I was very close to my parents and they always saw to it that I had playmates. They enrolled me in very good preschool programs and then excellent private schools as I grew older. Needless to say, they were heavily focused on academic enrichment. I spent every summer in educational camps, studying everything from math to science to foreign languages.”

“And you liked that?” he asked a bit dubiously.

“I loved it,” she admitted with a smile. “I always looked forward to my summer programs. I made friends as well as learned a wide variety of subjects.”

“I spent my summers playing ball and working construction jobs for spending money. When I wasn’t at the ballpark or on a job site, I’d be at the pool with my buddies, checking out the girls in bikinis.”

Illustrating once again how very different they were, even from childhood.

“When did you decide you wanted to be a scientist?” he asked.

“I don’t remember, exactly. My parents always encouraged me to pursue academia.” That, of course, was an understatement, since her parents had pretty much mapped out her future from her birth. Fortunately, she had been perfectly willing to go along with their plans, which had suited her temperament well enough. “I suppose I started focusing on the biological sciences as a teenager, when I began to show a particular aptitude for the subject.”

“So you never looked at anything else?”

“I briefly considered pursuing an M.D., but I decided against that because I’m too much of a control freak,” she admitted. “If I couldn’t make the patients do what I suggested, it would make me crazy.”

“And you have more control in research?”

She had to laugh at that. “No. Research is usually two steps forward, one step back. Or as often as not, one step forward and three steps back. There are a zillion little variables that can affect any experiment, many of which the researcher has little to no control over.”

His gaze seemed to focus for a long moment on her smiling mouth. “That doesn’t bother you?”

What bothered her was the look in his eyes just then, an expression she couldn’t begin to interpret. She cleared her throat silently and said, “I get frustrated sometimes, but I enjoy my work for the most part.”

“Lots of pressure to get results and get published, I would imagine.”

“Oh, sure. Add to that the steady dwindling of grant monies for scientific research, and it’s a fairly high-stress job. But I can deal with that.”

His gaze rose to her eyes again. “Something tells me you can handle just about anything.”

No, she thought with a quick ripple of anxiety. There were some things she didn’t know how to handle at all.

“So tell me more about your upcoming test,” she said a bit too hastily. “Do you feel pretty confident about it?”

A third slice of pizza halfway to his mouth, Mike looked a bit surprised by her abrupt change of subject. “Um—yeah, pretty good. There are a couple of things I’m hoping you can explain a little better for me, but I think I have a good chance at doing well.”

Chagrined at her awkwardness, she stuffed a bite of pizza into her mouth and reached grimly for her glass. She had certainly brought that conversation to an abrupt halt.

Maybe she had better just stick to tutoring.

Mike gathered his books and papers and stuffed them into his backpack an hour and a half later. “Once again, you’ve been really helpful, Catherine. I think I’m ready for the test now.”

Catherine stood just a few feet away, watching him prepare to leave. Norman lay bonelessly in her arms, purring so loudly Mike could hear him from where he stood. “You’ve very welcome. Let me know how it goes, okay? I’ll be curious.”

“Yes, I will.” He was rather pleased by her request, since it indicated a willingness on her part for their budding friendship to continue. He’d thought earlier that perhaps he had blown it by asking too many questions about her. It rather surprised him how important it was for him to keep the lines of communication open between them.

It wasn’t because she was helping him study. He liked her. He admired her sharp mind and her generosity. Her cat. And, he had to admit, her chocolatey eyes, sensual mouth and willowy figure.

He hesitated at the door, a bit reluctant to leave. “I forgot to ask, how did you like that new restaurant the other night? I saw you there with your friends.”

“I thought it was quite good. My friends and I try to get together for dinner at least once a month, and we’re always pleased to find someplace new to eat. I noticed that your group seemed to be having a good time.”

He chuckled. “Those were my sister’s friends, actually. It was her birthday, so she chose who to invite. But I had a good time with them.”

“That beautiful redhead is your sister?” Catherine asked in surprise.

Smiling, he nodded. “That’s Laurie. My sister Charlie was also at the table. You might not have seen her because she had her back to you, but she’s another redhead.”

“Do all your sisters have red hair?”

“Three of the four inherited Dad’s red hair. The other sister, the oldest, Gretchen, has the same blond hair that our mother and I have.”

“Are they all as pretty as Laurie?”

“Well, I think so—but I’m not exactly objective.”

“A very handsome family, apparently.”