Page 56 of Seeds of Christmas
For a second, we just stare at each other.
Her lips are swollen, her cheeks flushed bright red. My heart is hammering so hard I can hear it in my ears.
“So,” I say, and my voice comes out rough. “Um. Data collected.”
“Right. Yes.” She’s not looking at me. She’s looking at a point somewhere past my shoulder, her face getting redder by the second.
“Hypothesis confirmed. You’re good at kissing. Definitely not the problem.”
“Great. Good to know.” She steps back, and I drop my hands immediately. “So that’s... that’s settled then.”
“Completely settled.”
“Good.”
“Great.”
We stand there in excruciating silence. She’s fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. I’m very aware that my hands don’t know what to do anymore.
“We should—” she starts.
“Yeah, we should—” I say at the same time.
We both stop. The silence gets worse.
“We have that data to collect today,” she says, speaking slightly too fast. “Site four. It’s supposed to be the big one. The important readings for the testimony thing.”
“Right. Yes. The thermal spring. Very important.” I’m nodding too much. “We should get ready for that.”
“We should definitely do that.”
“Get our equipment together.”
“Check the weather.”
“Make sure we have enough sample containers.”
“Right. Yes. Containers.” She’s already moving toward the table where we left our gear last night, moving too quickly, like she’s fleeing a crime scene.
I follow, but we’re both beingtoocareful now. When she reaches for a thermometer, I reach for my field notebook on the opposite side of the table, maintaining maximum distance.
“I’ll double-check the protocols,” she says, her voice artificially bright.
“And I’ll... I’ll check the map. For the route. To site four.”
“Good. That’s good.”
She makes a strangled sound that might be a laugh, then immediately busies herself with reorganizing sample vials that are already perfectly organized.
I pretend to study the map intensely even though I’ve memorized the route.
The tension in the cabin is so thick I could cut it with a knife.
“Carter?” she says after a minute, still not looking at me.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t...Um…” She trails off, her hands still on the vials.
