Page 18 of Reluctant Chemistry
“Yeah, I think so, but not many people seem to know about it. Shall we eat?”
Luka slid his arm along the back of the seat and kissed her.“Maybe we should make out while no one’s here.”
CeCe scraped her teeth over her lower lip. “We could always do both.”
8
Grant’s Pond
CeCe climbed from the van and curled her toes into the cool grass. Her brother, Mitch, had introduced her to Grant’s Pond years before. CeCe suspected he’d brought his girlfriends here when he was a senior in high school, but they’d also picnicked in the spot as a family when everyone still lived at home.
Luka stood beside her while she opened the van’s side door and pulled out the cooler, a rug, and pillows. The shady spot held a slight dampness to the air, and the sound of the water as it skipped over the rocks calmed her. The summer had been hot, the humidity overwhelming, and for a few days around New Year, she’d found herself longing for autumn’s softer hues.
But now, autumn meant not only saying goodbye to summer but also farewelling Luka. Easter fell at the start of April, and when Easter arrived, Luka would be leaving. He’d miss the endless blue skies, that settled heat sandwiched between morning and evening coolness she so loved.
“Hey, CeCe?” She looked up. Luka now stood at the water’s edge, wearing nothing but his jeans and a smile. He stretched, his finely tuned torso glistening in the early evening sunlight. “Can you swim here?”
“Sure. But it’s pretty shallow. And there could be eels.”
He strolled back to the van and sat cross-legged on the rug, facing her. Food unpacked, CeCe handed him a pottery plate. Luka turned it over and touched her initials on the back with his forefinger.SD.“Interesting plate.”
“I made them at school, in art class. This local potter taught us—I’m sure she was stoned half the time. Used to hum Fleetwood Mac songs while she cut the clay. Mum put them in the picnic hamper, so we didn’t have to eat off plastic on our adventures, and they’ve been there ever since.”
Luka chuckled. “So, she didn’t want them in the house, you mean?”
“Yep. But I’ve no idea why. They’re kinda cool, in a rustic sort of way.”
He nodded. “What’s the S stand for?”
“I might tell you one day.”
“But not today?”
“No, not today.”
“When did you finish school?”
CeCe hesitated. This was a detail, one that required an explanation. Her decision to return to school still teetered at the back of her mind, not that she’d told her parents. Sometimes, she struggled to cope with their assumptions. “Last year.” She placed the cob loaf on a round wooden board and cut two slices, which she offered to him, then cut another.
Luka appeared not to notice her hesitation. “I left last year too.”
She looked up from buttering her bread. “Do you mean uni?”
“No, I taught high school science for a couple of years, but it wasn’t really my thing.”
“Wow, I can’t imagine you as a teacher.”
“No? I thought it was what I wanted, but as it turned out, I was just following the crowd. My grandfather passed away during my final year at university, and a week before he died, we talked about fulfilling our dreams. He’d always wanted to be a teacher but never had the chance to go to college. Not that he had a bad life, but… Anyway, I’m letting down my details guard.”
She smiled. “I don’t mind.”
Luka picked up a slice of his bread and spread it with hummus and cheese. He took a bite, closed his eyes, and sighed. “This has to be the best bread I’ve eaten in a long while.”
“I know, right? I bought it from that bakery across the street from the library. When I first started working there, I’d buy one of their wholewheat rolls every lunchtime and eat it with just butter. Libby thought I was crazy, but I love simple food.”
“Me too. What about you? Have you always wanted to be a librarian?”
“No. It’s not my dream.”
