Page 14 of Surge of Fire

I was trying to be positive too, which wasn’t hard to do with my awesome schedule. Starting everything on Tuesday meant that instead of having Ecology & Conservation Biology as my first class, Granger, Aydan and I would be starting Geology of Science as our first class together. As much as I wanted to work with Dr. Abigail, I was still glad to get to enjoy a class with my best friends.

It’s early in the morning as we hike to the far back of the Phoenix Institute, following our map to the path where we’ll be meeting Dr. Duncan. Unsure of the exact plan beyond fieldstudy, we’re dressed for whatever the hell these professors are going to throw at us. All three of us have hiking boots, jeans, and t-shirts on with various kinds of utility belts that carry not only our cell phones, but also flashlights and a few other things we learned were important to carry on a hike. Plus, we all have small backpacks with a notebook, pens, sample bags, and research equipment. Even though they might give us different tools, we figured it'd be better to be prepared.Exploring the woods as kids coupled with our many hands-on classes in college means we feel we can handle anything.

“You ready?” I ask them, grinning.

Aydan’s gaze meets mine, and there’s a second where it’s hard to breathe before he looks away. “As ready as I’m going to be, although I hope there’s not too many damn numbers in this class.”

I suck in a deep breath, trying not to let my eyes run over him, but they do because they like to drink him in. Aydan’s dirty-blond hair is neatly styled, although the length on top means it still looks soft. Like if I were to run my hands through it, there wouldn’t be any gel. He’s also wearing black boots and tight jeans, jeans that I know are hugging his perfect ass. And he’s wearing a light jacket that’s dark blue. It’s one of his favorites, and it brings out the blue in his incredible eyes.

Damn it. This is harder than I thought.

Granger is so giddy he’s bouncing a little as we walk. “Dr. Duncan isn’t a numbers guy, at least when he’s teaching. In all of his lectures online, he speaks in a way that anyone can understand. He does, however, have high expectations for the research his students compile after field visits.”

“Sounds like a blast,” Aydan murmurs, and knocks my shoulder a little.

I laugh. “Numbers and research aren’t that bad.”

“Says the wildlife management girl,” he teases.

My focus, Wildlife Management, does have a lot more research and numbers involved than Fire Science, but the hands-on stuff is still my favorite. “My major isn’t nearly as bad as Granger’s. And it’s Wildlife ManagementWoman, by the way.”

“Woman?” he asks, lifting a brow.

Granger is all smiles as he says, “Tsk, tsk, tsk, I already told you, our girl has blossomed into a woman.”

Aydan looks upset for the briefest moment before his expression changes. “Right, my bad.”

It’s frustrating as hell. Maybe he’ll never like me the way that I like him, but the least he can do is see me as a woman. I mean, that’s reasonable, right? I’d said it more as a joke, but his whole reaction makes me think that he’s incapable of seeing me as anything other than the awkward little girl I was.

I try to brush it off. Today is an important day. I can’t screw it up, nor can I afford to be distracted by a guy. Especially not a guy as confusing as Aydan.

We exit out the back gate of the institute, through a metal door built into the huge wooden fence that surrounds the entire place. Just outside of it, Dr. Duncan is waiting, scribbling into a notebook, while leaning against a large plastic container. Exchanging a glance, we all slowly head toward him, not wanting to disturb him, or just hang around, wasting more time.

Dr. Duncan startles as we approach, scans us over, then finishes scribbling in his book as we approach, before slamming it shut. “Samantha Callaway, Aydan Sage, and Granger Gable.”

Whoa. Okay.

“How did you know?” Aydan asks, his tone curious.

“I only have eleven students, and all of you were handpicked by either Dr. Williams or myself.” His brown eyes meet mine. “Now, you and Mr. Aydan weren’t exactly the top choices for Geology of Earthquakes, however, you were in your respectivefields, and I felt your skill set would be important for what I’m doing here.”

That surprises me. I assumed he sort of got stuck with Aydan and I. “What skill sets would that be?”

He smiles and strokes his long blond beard. “You and Mr. Aydan are far more fearless than most of my students. Many science majorsarefearless, but they don’t have the kind of intelligence needed for my work. You and Mr. Aydan have excelled in all the required math and science courses, while additionally enjoying rock climbing, base jumping, and sky diving. You both have a number of photos working with animals, some animals that only a fool would work with outside of a careful laboratory situation with proper sedatives.”

“How do you know all of that?” I ask, shocked.

His smile widens. “I’m not so old that I don’t check the social media of my candidate choices. Because what I’m doing… requires a certain level of bravery not often found in my beloved lab rat students.”

Hell, yeah, this should be fun!

His gaze moves to Granger, and his smile fades away. He reaches out and takes his hand, and they shake firmly. “And you, Mr. Granger, have everything I’m looking for in a student and much more. If you don’t become a leading expert in our field in the future, something has gone terribly wrong with your career path.”

“Thank you, Dr. Duncan,” Granger says, gushing the words, looking like he’s about to swoon.

The professor releases his hand and shakes his head. “Henry. Please, we won’t have time for all this formality nonsense. It’s just Henry.”

Granger is staring between his hand and the man, like he just might explode with excitement. While me? I’m not sure how to feel about any of this. What could we possibly be doing on thismountain that would require people to be fearless? I assumed we’d mostly be hiking, observing, and taking notes.

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