Page 8 of Break Away
Levi asked, “What have you been doing sincehigh school?”
“Really? We’re sharing our history like wewere besties back then?” She stifled an inner groan. That was rude.He was making an effort to be friendly, and she should do the same.It took her a while to warm up to people, which was why she had afew good friends rather than a wide circle. She knew herself wellenough to understand her reserve was often a protective shield.
The clear, deep timbre of his voice broughtback memories of high school when she’d been so aware of him. Hehad presented a project in their bio class and she’d been surprisedwhen he’d fumbled nervously. He’d always seemed so confident, buthis obvious nerves had made him even more likeable. She’d been ableto really look at him, instead of pretending not to see him in thehalls, by his locker, in the parking lot. His voice had soundedwonderfully deep and grown-up. That he was now walking with her asthe blush of the sky deepened with the setting sun was unexpectedand maybe even a little exciting. But she didn’t want to like himthat way again.
“What, we’re on a hike together but can’thave a conversation? If you didn’t want to talk with me, why didyou agree to me coming?”
The trail widened enough for them to walkside by side. She glanced up at him. Blue eyes gleamed from underthe bill of his ball cap.
“It was a crazy impulse.”
“Which you’re now regretting.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Good. So let’s hear it. You were two yearsbehind me at Loss High. What did you do after graduation? Work,college, travel through Europe with a backpack?”
“Europe? I wish. But I didn’t graduate fromLoss High.”
“You didn’t graduate from high school?”
“I did, but not from Loss High. I transferredmidway through my senior year to a high school in Fresno.”
“Why the hell would you do that?”
“To stay clothed and fed. Mom was moving toFresno. She realized it was a crappy time for me, but she did whatshe had to do.”
“You couldn’t have stayed here with friendsso you could graduate from Loss High?”
She shook her head. “There was stuff goingon. Plus, my brother needed me, and I didn’t want to be separatedfrom him and my mom. So I went with them.”
“Why did your mom want to leave theLoss?”
Talking about herself made Zoey itchy, buthis point that she’d invited him on this trek was valid. She’danswer his questions but hold back on crucial details. He didn’tneed to know everything.
“Mom broke up with the guy who’d been livingwith us. Kicked him out. She had a job lined up in Fresno. Havingme when she was eighteen had crushed any chance of college, and bythe time I was in high school she was still young. In her earlythirties. I’m almost that age now. That’s weird to thinkabout.”
Zoey went on, wanting to finish it. “Momwanted to do more with her life than wait tables, and she wanted toset a good example for Charlie and me. Her new job was at thecommunity college in Fresno where she was planning to take classes,and there was a program at the university that would help Charlie.Really, it was no big deal.”
“Hangman’s Loss must have felt like home foryou too since you eventually made it back here.”
“I’m not sentimental. Hangman’s Loss is onlyanother town. The scenery is pretty, but other towns have prettyscenery, too.”
“It’s not sentimental to want home.”
“Well, not all of us had an idyllic childhoodwith a big, loving family they can come back to.”
“Ouch.”
Would she ever shut it with the snidecomments? Once again she’d been rude, but she checked the impulseto apologize. Distance was better where Levi Gallagher wasconcerned. He made her feel too emotionally exposed. She’d have tobe dead not to have noticed that flare of interest in his eyes whenshe’d been chewing him out about giving Lucy potato chips. Betterto pull that weed up by the root than to let it grow andblossom.
“So if it wasn’t the people or pretty sceneryof Hangman’s Loss that brought you back, what was it?”
“Work. I was transferred to this area about ayear and a half ago.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a wildlife biologist.”
