Page 16 of Riverside Reverie

“Well, yeah. There are entire websites dedicated to all sorts of kinks,” Talia informed him. “The Internet is a vast place.”

“I’m really sorry, Lux. How long were you guys together?” Zoey asked.

She looked like she didn’t really want to answer the question, but she did.

“Since high school.”

Talia let out a low whistle. “That’s a long time. I don’t think I’ve had a relationship that’s lasted longer than three months. But I think relationships are overrated, anyway. You don’t need to be in one to be happy!”

Lux’s gaze slid to me, then away just as quickly. I could make out the flush of her cheeks from the glow of the fire; she was embarrassed, either by the subject itself or the attention she was garnering from everyone else around the campfire. I didn’t blame the others for being interested. We’d heard each other’s stories before, but she was a mystery—one I wanted to unravel.

“Now that you’re finished with school, where do you plan on going next?” Zoey asked Lux. The game of campfire questions had fallen to the wayside as everyone else seemed more interested in getting to know Lux.

She brought her beer to her lips and took a sip before replying. “I’m not sure, I’ve applied for a bunch of jobs in a bunch of different areas. It’ll depend on where I get a call back from. I’m not really picky and I’ll work at a medical clinic, but I’m hoping for a hospital position.”

“I’d love to be a registered nurse and work with little kids. Right now, I’m just a PSW,” Zoey remarked.

“Don’t downplay what you do, babe,” Kai lectured, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You know those old ladies you take care of would be lost without you.”

Zoey peered up at him, an amused look on her face. “Only until they forget about me,” she corrected with a light laugh. Then she looked back at Lux. “Dementia is a hell of a disease. A lot of my patients suffer from various stages of it. Some don’t even know who their own family members are.”

“That’s sad,” Lux looked like she wanted to weep. “My grandma had dementia. I don’t remember much about her, she died when I was eight, but I remember how she forgot who I was by the end of it.”

Zoey nodded, the two of them sharing a moment.

“I miss school—just the environment of learning. I graduated from the photography program a few years ago. Running my own business has been fun, but a huge learning curve,” Rhiannon said.

“Finishing school does seem to be the easy bit. At least I’m not the only one struggling to figure it out, though!” Lux replied, grinning at Jasmine. “My little history buff.”

Jasmine stood up and took a bow. “Thank you, thank you. It was dicey for a bit there—many times I wanted to throw in the towel and join an off-the-grid commune—but I have achieved what I set out to do. I now have my PhD in Human Studies and Interdisciplinarity!”

“What are you going to do with it?” Baz teased.

“I don’t know yet,” Jasmine answered honestly. “But hopefully, good things.”

“Well, I for one hope you do go into politics. At least you’ll remember the working poor and the most vulnerable,” Zoey commented, earning a small smile from Jasmine.

Jasmine’s father had been the Mayor of Guelph, and he’d done a lot of good during the years he served. He was now the local MPP for Guelph. He often clashed with Dudley Wadsworth, the Premier of Ontario, but he got things done and he had the general respect of his constituents.

I’d met him a few times, and I’d liked him. It was easy to see where Jasmine got her huge heart from, and her desire to create positive change.

“Tomorrow we’re going cliff jumping. You gonna join us, Princess?” Talia asked, leaning forward to poke at the fire with a stick.

Lifting my beer, I watched her, waiting on her answer while I took a sip.

“Yes,” she replied, looking from Talia to me briefly before moving her gaze on to Jasmine. “I’m not sure if I’ll actually jump, but I do want to see the cliffs.”

“Excellent choice,” Talia said, raising her beer to the air in salute. “I bet you’ll jump. That, or Jasmine will shove you in.”

“I wouldn’t,” Jasmine assured her, eyes wide with innocence. “No really, I wouldn’t Lux. It’s too high; I’d never do that to you. Anything less than five feet and its go time, though.”

“Less than five feet?” Lux repeated, brow arching. “How tall is this cliff, and how do we climb up it?”

“There’s a pathway to get to the top, it’s a little steep but it’s not too bad. There’s about a fifty-five-foot drop,” I replied, poking at the fire with a thick stick I’d found and whittled into a poker.

The colour faded from Lux’s complexion.

“Moose can manage the path easily enough, so you’ll be alright,” Rhiannon supplied helpfully.

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