Chemistry Lessons (25 page)

“I know you like him.” His words had a nasal quality to them, nasty,
with some bite. She hated when he used that tone with her. “I saw the way you
two talked today after I left. You’re all smiles when he’s around.”

Wile E walked up behind Tanner, quiet and stealthy, as though tracking
a rabbit for dinner. Her ears were laid back and her teeth bared.

Rosie twisted to grab Wile E’s collar, spiking the pain in her back. “So
I can never talk to another man? I can never smile at another man?”

Tanner was in debate mode now. Calm and collected, he folded his arms
across his chest. “I have no trouble with you talking to other men. You know
that. My problem is that you’re attracted to another man.”

As much as she had been tempted to flirt with Destry, to feel the touch
of his lips on hers again, she had not allowed it. There had only been one
kiss, one harmless kiss. “There’s nothing between Destry and me.”

“The evidence suggests otherwise.”

“What evidence?”

“You want more? Okay. You followed his advice to tell your students
about Janessa—a very bad decision if you ask me. He gives you rides home from
school, he’s over here almost every day, you visit over the fence that divides
your property, and, just now, you let him carry you in from the field.” He
ticked the items off on his fingers, his volume rising. “And you can’t stop
looking at him,” he added as an afterthought.

Wile E lunged, and as much as it hurt her back, Rosie kept hold of the
coyote’s collar. “You’re imagining things,” she said, trying to keep her back straight
as the coyote jerked in her grip.

“A marriage should be built on trust, Rosie,” Tanner said, as if this
should be news to her. “It’s not going to work if we can’t trust each other.”

“I agree.” Maybe they needed to see a counselor.

Tanner stared off toward the barn. “I think it’s time we called things
off.”

“What?” He couldn’t mean that.

Wile E growled as though he could read Tanner’s thoughts. Rosie strained,
trying to keep her from going after Tanner. “Wile E,” Rosie grunted. “Stop
that.”

 “I hate that dog,” Tanner muttered, backing away.

“We could see a counselor. I could make an appointment for us.”

“It’s over, Rosie.” He turned and walked out of the room. With her sore
back, she couldn’t run after him. She’d never catch up.

“You’re wrong about Destry and me,” she yelled.

With his hand on the front doorknob, he turned and his pupils seemed
blacker than ever. “It’s over. You’ve made your choice.”

She
had
made her choice. She had chosen Tanner over Destry. “You’re
a jealous idiot, Tanner Smith!”

Knowing Tanner, she couldn’t expect him to come back to talk things
through. Instead, she listened as he started his truck and imagined it
retreating farther and farther away, becoming a tiny dot at the end of the
lane.

This felt like an ending. Like it should be an ending.

She willed herself to cry, to mourn the loss of their friendship, their
plans for the future. Only, she didn’t feel sad. Tanner’s words had broken her
a little, but it was as if a light came through the broken pieces. She might
not have to endure another discussion about finances or wedding plans. She
wouldn’t have to get Tanner’s approval before she adopted another animal. She
could stop trying to convince Grandpa to accept him into the family.

She braced a hand against the small of her back. Was the pain clouding
her judgment? This couldn’t be the end. Without Tanner, she couldn’t buy the
ranch. She wouldn’t have a place for her animals. The ranch would be sold to
someone else.

A few hundred yards away, Destry stood atop a stack of hay in the barn,
lifting bales up to Alan. Watching him through the window, it was like
something cracked. The broken places inside her opened wide, making room for
new possibilities. If Tanner really was in her past, Destry could be part of
her future.

Then she remembered that Destry was dating someone else, and just as
quickly, the cracks squeezed shut. She had watched the playful flirtations
between Destry and Mercedes—how he smiled at her. It was the way he used to
look at Rosie. She’d lost her chance with Destry.

At lunchtime on Tuesday, Destry met Mercedes on the bank of the river,
where scrubby trees provided patches of shade. Here and there, tall grasses,
once buried by floodwaters, had sprung back to life. She spread a quilt on the sandy
soil, and after he sat down, she handed him something warm wrapped in aluminum
foil. He opened it to reveal a cheese steak sandwich. The smell brought him
back to his favorite Philadelphia deli and his mouth began to water. He took a
bite, savoring the blend of butter, onion, steak, and peppers.

Mercedes watched, her lips twitching into a seductive smile. “How is
it?”

He swallowed, wiped his mouth on the cloth napkin she provided, and
reached for her hand. “I think you might be the best cook I’ve ever met. Thank
you.” It was a mystery how Mercedes was still single.

She stared down the dusty bank toward the river, which had shrunk
during the last few weeks to resemble more of a creek. “This picnic spot must
be pitiful compared to the parks in Pennsylvania. I’ll bet you miss all the
green out there.”

 “Sometimes.” He took another bite, chewed it, and swallowed. “Depending
how things go at the town hall meeting, I might be moving back there.” It was
the first time he had said the words out loud, and he trusted Mercedes to
understand.

She paused, looking down at her sandwich, before she forced a smile. “I’m
sure the meeting will go well.” He could tell she wasn’t sure at all.

“I have a feeling it won’t.”

She ran her hand up his arm to his shoulder. “If you leave, I’m going
with you. I’ve always wanted to live on the East Coast.”

Destry dipped his head, peering into her eyes. “You would do that? For
me?” They had only been dating a few weeks, yet she already wanted to make that
kind of sacrifice for him. It thrilled, but terrified him. They had barely
started seeing each other, and moving across the country together would be a
huge commitment. Was he ready for that?

She kissed his cheek, scooting closer. “I’m not going to let you get
away. Besides, I’ve always wanted to live somewhere with a real history, and
Philadelphia is filled with it. You’ve got the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall,
and . . . “

“And pollution . . . and crime.” He couldn’t let her go on thinking of
his city as a quaint, historic village. Once she saw how it really was—huge and
sprawling with rising crime rates—she would probably change her mind about
moving there. And it might be better to change her mind sooner than later.

“I’m going to have to fly back there this week—my company needs my help
with a few things. You can come along to check it out if you want.” Now that he’d
said it, he realized he had spoken too quickly. He didn’t mean to sound like he
was pushing for more commitment, especially a physical commitment. He was old
enough to have learned that it was better to take things slow. “My parents have
a couple of guest rooms we can probably use,” he added, trying to emphasize the
s
at the end of rooms. “We’re old-fashioned when it comes to unmarried
couples.”

She smiled, her mouth dropping open in surprise. He could see the
disappointed shift in her eyes when she realized he wasn’t joking. “Got it.
When do we leave?”

“As soon as possible after the town hall meeting . . . provided it’s
okay with Phil.”

“You’re dating the woman in charge of finding substitutes,” Mercedes
said, lowering her voice to its husky version. “Leave it to me. I’ll get Phil
to approve it.”

Destry couldn’t help remembering the way Rosie’s cheeks pinked when he
flirted with her. She was so shy and proper—the kind of woman his parents would
like. Mercedes was so much bolder, and even though she was new and exciting, it
bothered him. “My mom might be able to show you around during the day while I’m
working. And I can line up some job interviews for you, if you want.”

Mercedes clapped her hands together, holding them to her chest. “It’s
always been my dream to work on the East Coast.” Then she laughed. “Can you
imagine what everyone will say about the two of us taking our vacations at the
same time? And that I’m going to meet your parents?”

He could imagine that most people in town were already predicting a
lifelong relationship between the two of them. “Let them gossip.”

Her expression grew serious. “That reminds me—I was going to ask you
about Rosie. How was she today?”

Unwilling to reveal how much he had been thinking about Rosie, he gave
a shrug. “She went to her chiropractor yesterday. She’s still limping a lot,
but she says her back feels better.”

Mercedes reclined to the side, facing him. “I didn’t mean her back. I
meant the breakup.”

“Breakup?” He sat up a little straighter, his heart rate picking up
pace.

“You haven’t heard? Tanner broke up with her.”

“
Tanner
broke up with
her?
” He took another bite, trying
to mask the emotion Mercedes might read on his face. That morning when he had
asked Rosie about her back, she had nervously twisted the strap of her lab
goggles into a tight knot around her finger. No wonder she’d seemed so
preoccupied.

“Jade told me about it,” Mercedes said. “Tanner thinks Rosie’s been
seeing you behind his back.” She studied him as if she also might suspect the
same thing.

He swallowed before he was ready and choked. Coughing and sputtering,
he shook his head. After gulping down some water, he recovered enough to reply.
“Me? That’s not true.” A few weeks ago, he would have scaled Everest during a
blizzard to hold Rosie in his arms if he’d thought she would let him, and,
though he would never admit it to anyone, he still wanted to.

“My grandmother would say Tanner
esta como una cabra
.”

Destry squinted and tried to remember his high school Spanish. “Tanner
is like a rabbit?”

Mercedes laughed. “Like a goat. It means he’s off his rocker—a little
crazy. They were together for—let’s see.” She paused to count on her fingers. “Three
or four years. It’s hard to tell when they became more than friends. They’ve
been friends forever.”

Destry set his half-eaten sandwich down on its foil wrapper. This could
be his chance—unless Rosie wanted Tanner back. He needed to find out more. “So
you think she’s upset about it?” He tried not to sound overly interested. Rosie
and Tanner’s relationship had always seemed so ho-hum to him. It was like they
were just hanging out, rather than being in love.

Mercedes nodded. “Jade said she’s devastated.”

Devastated.
He was hoping to hear she seemed optimistic . . . or melancholy maybe. But devastated.
He wasn’t sure he could compete with that. “I’m surprised Rosie didn’t say
anything to me. I could have defended her to Tanner.”

“You still could,” Mercedes suggested, removing a plate of cheesecake
from her picnic basket and placing it in front of him. “But first we need to
have dessert.”

As they ate, Destry’s mind stayed on Rosie. As happy as he was to hear
about the breakup, he couldn’t stand to think of her suffering. Tanner was an
idiot.

Arriving back at the school with five minutes to spare, he found Rosie
at her desk, grading papers. Her hair fell like a golden curtain across her
face, blocking her view, so she didn’t notice him until he stood in front of
her. She startled and dropped her pen on the floor. He rushed around the desk
to pick it up, but she got to it first.

“Is it true Tanner thinks there’s something going on between the two of
us?” he asked, pulling up a chair to sit beside her.

She let a single chuckle slip out in that adorable way she did when she
was nervous. Was she afraid of being seen with him now that the rumors were
flying? “Yes.”

His eyes flickered toward her left hand. No ring. A good sign. He
caught the scent of her hair, which made it hard to focus on words. Good thing
he had already rehearsed in his mind what he would say. “Someone told me he
broke up with you because he misunderstood our relationship.”

She grew serious. “That’s true.” This was her chance. He waited for her
to say something, anything to give him an idea of her feelings toward him. The
silence stretched.

A student entered the room, and Destry realized he should have shut the
door when he came in. Hoping to avoid becoming the subject of any more gossip,
he spoke just above a whisper. “Would you mind giving me Tanner’s number? I’d
like to talk to him about it. You know, defend your honor.”

She reached for a scrap of paper and wrote Tanner’s number with a
shaking hand. “I’d appreciate it if you would. I’d hate for him to go on
thinking I’d been stepping out on him.”

From this short conversation, Destry could only assume she regretted
the breakup, which meant she still didn’t want him. Walking back to his
classroom, he tried to shake off the discouragement. He had never fought so
hard to get over a woman. Spending time with Mercedes had helped, but only a
little. His thoughts constantly drifted toward Rosie.

Despite the way she had rejected him, he wanted more than anything to see
her happy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered to send Tanner a message,
asking if they could meet to talk.

Tanner responded to his text, and they agreed to meet on the bleachers
after school, but he was so late that Destry ended up watching twenty minutes
of football practice while he thought of all the things he had to do before the
town hall meeting that evening. When Tanner did show up, he shook Destry’s hand
and sat next to him on the bleachers.

Destry cut to the chase, speaking as they both stared in the direction
of the field. “If you’re breaking up with Rosie because you think she has
feelings for me, you’re a fool. That’s not to say I didn’t try.” He kept his
volume low. “But she rejected me over and over and over again. She’s devoted to
you. That woman has a heart big enough to love some of the least loveable
animals on the planet—including you. I cannot fathom how you take her so much
for granted.”

Tanner leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and shaking his
head. “She rejected you, huh?” He gave a sharp, derisive chuckle.

Destry didn’t have the patience to gratify Tanner’s ego any longer. He
stood. “All I want is for her to be happy.” He turned and walked down the
steps.

Tanner scrambled down the bleachers to keep up with him. “And you think
she’s happiest with me?”

“It’s what she thinks that matters,” Destry said, struggling to keep
his words flat and emotionless. He stopped and turned to Tanner. “Do me a favor
and take her someplace other than Vegas for a honeymoon—someplace with wildlife.
You could at least take her to the California coast.” He wished he had an
escape hatch from this situation but Tanner just kept following him down the
long row of cement steps, like an abandoned dog.

“There’s just one thing that worries me,” he said.

Destry didn’t ask what that could be. He didn’t care either.

“After Rosie and I get married,” Tanner said, “you’ll be living next
door.”

Bracing every muscle against the urge to punch Tanner, Destry spoke
through his teeth. “You don’t have to remind me.” He rounded the corner of the
school and stared across the parking lot to his car. It was a one minute sprint
at most. He could leave Tanner in the dust and be done with it, but it wouldn’t
look very mature, and the last thing he wanted was to seem like a coward in
front of Tanner.

“Having you as a neighbor would be a threat to our marriage,” Tanner
said. “You admitted yourself that you’re in love with her.”

Destry stopped. Had he used the word love? No, but he might as well
have. He would have to be more careful to disguise his emotions. He cleared his
throat. “First, if you have that little trust in Rosie, you don’t deserve her,
and you’re a bigger idiot than I thought. Second  . . .  oh, it doesn’t matter.
I’ve moved on with my life, Mr. Smith. I’m dating Mercedes now, and you have my
word that I won’t interfere. Marriage isn’t something I take lightly.”

Tanner scrutinized Destry’s expression for a moment, his eyes squinting
and his lips thin. “Good. I’ll see you at the Town meeting tonight.” He
delivered his words with the force of a punch.

Destry didn’t bother to say good-bye. He stalked off, promising himself
that this would be the last personal conversation he ever had with Tanner.