Page 22 of The Scientist
Lex’s face turned to disappointment, which almost made me tell them I changed my mind, but I figured with Stuart there as a buffer, it would be fine.
I went back inside and packaged up the rest of my cookies to bring to the guys’ house before heading their way.
When I arrived, it was Stuart who let me in. I didn’t see Lex anywhere in sight, and the suspicion kicked in that he was avoiding me.The setup of their home was identical to mine, save for the decorations, which they had kept to a minimum.
I noticed they had unboxed the food and had it spread across the table. They had gotten so much that it took up nearly every square inch of the table.
“Wow, it does look amazing,” I said, taking a seat. “How much do I owe you for my share?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Stuart waved me off. “It’s on the house.”
“Well, in that case, dessert’s on me,” I said, setting the bag on the table.“Fresh baked cookies, right out of the oven.”
“Great. I was worried we weren’t going to have enough food,” he teased.
He handed me a plate, and I started pulling a little from each container. Lex joined us after a few minutes. He spared me aglance that lasted about as long as a sneeze, and then ignored me completely as he started fixing his plate.
Must have left all my appeal in my other pants.
“So, how was your first day of classes?” I asked Stuart, remembering he had told me he was starting yesterday.
“Bunch of spoiled prima donnas who wouldn’t know the difference between optical isomers and enantiomersif it slapped them in the face.”
“That’s crazy!” I said with a look of indignation. “It couldn’t be more obvious. I don’t know how they expect you to work like this.”
“I KNOW!” he agreed emphatically.
“Maybe you could petition the Department Head. Request a whole new group of students,” I suggested.
“You really think I could do that?” he asked sincerely.
“No,” Lex answered, giving me a chastising look. I tried hiding my smile while sipping my drink.
Stuart huffed. “Probably would just give me another batch of morons anyway.”
“Yeah probably,” I said in mock agreement before digging into my food. It was absolute bliss.
I kept sneaking glances over at Lex, who kept the perfect mask of indifference on for the entirety of our dinner. I wondered if he ever got tired of being perpetually aloof. I didn’t think Scooby Doo and the mystery gang could even rip the mask off that one.
“So how are you liking California so far?” Stuart asked. “Big change from New York.”
“That’s an understatement,” I said between bites.
“What brought you here in the first place? Sudden urge to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger?”
“My mom,” I said, deciding to give them the truth. “We found out she has a rare type of breast cancer and there’s a doctor here that specializes in it. He’s supposed to be the best there is.”
“Are you talking about Dr. Gremillion?” Lex asked.
My eyebrows furrowed. “You know him?” Lex speaking to me at all was shocking enough, but him knowing the name of my mom’s doctor nearly had me on the floor next to my jaw.
“Yes,” he answered, looking just as surprised. “We did cancer research together many years ago. His specialty was breast cancer. He left to start his own practice. I thought I remembered him saying he was coming to this area.”
“I’m sorry, Hadley,” Stuart said. “I didn’t mean to be flippant.” It was odd to see him looking at me so sincerely. I was used to his playful nature.
“I know that. It’s okay,” I reassured him. “She had her surgery about a month ago. She starts chemo next Tuesday.”
Stuart gave me a tight smile. “I hope everything goes well.”