Effortless With You Lizzy Charles 14 page

My reflection tells me what I know deep down.

This is not a date.

I sigh, momentarily hating Dad for planting the idea. I know better. Justin isn’t the type of guy who’d spring that sort of thing on a girl. He's old fashioned. If he was asking me on a date, he would’ve made that clear. I urge my heart to slow. I need to relax. This is not a big deal.

I wait for Justin on the front porch. I'm not that surprised when Dad conveniently decides to mow the front lawn. I let my gaze meet his with daggers when he passes in front of me.

He’s such a dad.

A tinted Cadillac Crossover pulls up the driveway. Dad looks at me and sighs in defeat. I think he was really looking forward to telling Justin and his truck off. Too bad.

Justin steps out of the Crossover and waves. “What happened to the truck?” Dad calls over the hum of the mower

Justin’s face turns sour. “It wouldn’t start,” he shouts back.

I cross in front of the SUV and pull open the passenger door. I don’t want to give Justin the opportunity to open it for me. I have to focus—this isn’t a date. Justin looks temporarily bewildered as I leave him standing alone in the driveway. He collects himself and climbs into his seat, waving goodbye to Dad.

“What’s the rush, Lady?” he asks. I love it when he calls me Lady.

“I thought you were hungry?” I lie.

“Oh,” he looks down at his stomach like Eric does when it growls “That I am.” He pushes the SUV’s power button and it softly hums alive. Justin sighs, “It just isn’t the same without the sputtering or churning. Not as rugged, you know?”

“Right. Rugged is good. A quiet, purring engine is bad.”

“Precisely.” His laugh rolls as he pulls his fingers through his gorgeous dark hair. That’s it. My heart unhinges itself from my control. I’ve tipped over the top hill of a rollercoaster and there is no end.

I can’t live without hearing that chuckle for the rest of my life.

This is going to be a painful night.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

My stomach ties into hundreds of knots as we approach Jennifer and her friends. I can’t blame myself for being nervous. My history with social events is crap. But I'm not going to let Marissa and Zach ruin me. As much as it sucks, socialization is part of life. I have to learn how to do it, awkward or not. Of course, Justin senses my distress. Before we walk over the hill to the grill area, he places his hand on my back. “Don’t worry about it. These people are cool.”

Jennifer runs up the hill to greet us. She smiles at me and eyes Justin’s hand still resting on my back. I shift, knowing exactly what she’s thinking. I hope she can’t tell how badly I want it to be true.

“Hey, Jen. Is the food ready?”

“On the table.”

Justin runs down the hill toward the picnic table before she finishes the sentence.

Jennifer laughs. “He has an appetite of a thousand men. My dad’s happy he doesn’t have to feed him anymore.” She grabs my hand. “Come on. You should grab something before he eats it. Seriously.”

***

Justin introduces me to some guys from the basketball team. I recognize Jennifer’s friends, Allison and Tiffany. They seem pretty impartial to my existence. I like it that way.

Jennifer makes me grab a hot dog before she leads me over to another group playing ultimate Frisbee. I inhale the hot dog as a tall, green-eyed brunette steps out from the game to greet us.

Jennifer blushes as she approaches. “Lucy, meet Trish.”

I rub the crumbs from the hot dog against my legs. “Hey, it’s great to meet you.”

“Thanks. You too. Jennifer’s said some awesome things about you.” Trish catches my eye, letting me know that she knows I know, or something like that. She nods toward the group playing Frisbee. “My friends haven’t quite clicked yet with Jennifer’s.” I turn around, catching Allison and Tiffany eyeing them.

I laugh. “Maybe it’s the other way around?”

“Oh trust me. It’s definitely the other way around,” Jennifer adds. “Allison and Tiffany take some time to warm up. They’re okay though. You’ll see.”

“Do you want to play with us?” Trish offers.

Allison and Tiffany whisper to one another. The knots in my stomach tighten. I eye the ultimate Frisbee group. No expectations there. It seems like the safer bet. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

I am horrible with the Frisbee. Trish tries to give me pointers but it never helps. Justin’s presence, even across the lawn, is way too much of a distraction for me. My heart aches with each laugh and smile. And then it starts to burn when his attention is directed at Allison.

Allison has somehow separated Justin from the rest of the group. They are sitting on the ground and Allison is throwing grass in his face. She flips her hair and I can pick out the dimples in his cheeks. Every time he laughs is a knife through my heart. He leans in close to her and whispers something in her ear. She giggles.

I bite my lower lip. My heart has been thrown into an inferno.

I excuse myself from the game, claiming I’ve left my phone in Justin’s car. I need a moment to recover. As I walk over the hill and back to the car, my head spins.

I close my eyes and lean against the Crossover.

My heart is breaking and it sucks.

I breathe deeply, praying for the pain to subside.

I have to get through this.

I knew this day would come. Justin was bound to find another girl after Jennifer.

He can’t just stay single forever.

We’re just friends. He’s made that clear. I have no claim on him in any way.

I press my hand harder against my heart. I reason with it. Allison is making Justin happy. Don’t I want him to be happy? He’s my friend after all.

The burning eases a bit. That’s the key. Justin’s happiness. I really just want Justin to be happy. I can mourn the loss of a relationship I never had later. Tonight, I will just be happy for Justin.

I open my eyes and sigh. Why did love have to be so confusing?

I walk back up the hill. Midway up, a mother plays with her baby girl on a blanket. She blows into her tummy and the baby’s legs thrash wildly. I lean against a tree and continue to trespass on their mother-daughter moment. They are absolutely enchanted with one another. It's beautiful. Such simple and pure love.

I wish Mom could have done that with me.

I jump when I realize Justin stands at my side.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Nothing. I thought I forgot my cell phone in your car.” My voice is lifeless.

“Yeah, that’s what Jennifer said.” He jingles his car keys. “I figured you needed these.”

“Thanks, but I looked through the window and I didn’t see it. Maybe I left it in my purse.”

Justin nods up the hill, “Which is back at the picnic table.”

“Right.”

Justin looks at the mother and daughter. “Weird.”

“Really? I think it’s awesome.” I study them, trying to figure out what’s so weird. The mother is now rocking the baby and singing her songs. They're perfect.

“No, not them. You.”

“Oh?” I take a step back from him. “What?”

“Well, don’t get mad, but I was watching you before I came down. You were looking at them like you were jealous or something.”

I bite my lower lip. I can’t lie to Justin. My heart is too raw to try.

“I guess that’s because I am.” I sigh and lean back against a tree. The baby is reaching up and pulling the mother’s hair.

“Why?”

“Well, my mom couldn’t do that stuff with me when I was little.”

“Oh?”

“She had undiagnosed post-partum depression,” I explain. “She couldn’t be that way with me.” Justin doesn’t say anything so I continue. “She sunk into a terrible, clinical depression, for years. She never rocked me to sleep or played patty cake. She’d just lie in the living room on the couch.”

“Wow, that must have been hard,” Justin says. “She isn’t that way now though.”

“No, she’s better now. Once they figured out what was wrong she was able to find treatment. A pairing of medication, exercise, and gardening became her therapy. By the time Eric was born, she was better.” I nod back toward the mother and daughter. “I used to watch her play with Eric that way.” I sigh. “I used to hate her for it. But now I’m glad she was able to love a child like that.”

Justin shortens the distance between us. “Lucy.”

I tremble as he comes closer. “Do you really think she didn’t love you?”

“Well, maybe somewhere inside of me, I don’t know, I guess—yeah?”

Justin places his arm around my shoulder in a sideways hug. My body melts into it. “One thing about your mother that is very obvious is that she loves you more than the world itself. The way she looks at you,” he nods toward the mother gazing into the daughter’s eyes. “It’s just like that. Trust me.” He holds me a moment longer before letting go.

“I don’t know why.” I try to sound casual. “I’ve made her life horrible this past year.”

“I can’t say I haven’t noticed tension. But lately?”

“It’s getting better.” I shrug. “We’ve been working on it.”

I start walking back up the hill. Justin follows. “You know that is pretty incredible.”

“What is?”

“You being so mature. You’re already striving to repair your relationship with your mom. Most people don’t do that until their mid-thirties, if ever.”

“I got sick of acting like everyone thinks a sixteen-year-old should.” I force a laugh. “It was way too much work to live up to those shallow standards.”

“Only a kind and good person would find that difficult.”

“Oh trust me, more like evil.” I try to smile mischievously.

He laughs. “I highly doubt that.” He nods down at Jennifer, “She wouldn’t have told you about her and Trish if you were. Jen’s got a sixth sense about people. If Jen approves of you, you’re definitely awesome.” His gaze moves from Jennifer to Allison. “That’s why I’m thinking of asking Allison out on a date. Get to know her, she seems really smart and fun.”

My heart starts to bleed.

Justin continues. “She must be a good person if she’s Jen’s friend, right?”

“Hmmm,” I force enthusiasm into my voice. “What does Jen think?”

He sighs. “She actually refuses to tell me. She doesn’t want to get caught in the middle. Wise but crappy. What do you think?”

“Well.” I navigate my words carefully. “Do whatever makes you happy.”

He smiles and nudges me, recognizing that same advice he gave me at the beach. “Come on, really, what do you think about Allison?”

“She seems cool. There’s no harm in going on a date or two.” I want to punch myself for saying it. But, it's true. As Justin’s friend, I’m going to support him even if that means my heart breaking into a million pieces along the way.

Justin takes a deep breath. “Okay. I’m going to do it.”

“Now?”

“Yup. Unless you can think of a reason for me not to?”

“Can you?”

“Nope.” He takes a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.” He turns away from me and waves to Allison. She waves back. He motions for her to join him on the hill. I sidestep away from Justin. I won’t survive if I have to watch this.

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone then.” I nod back toward the Frisbee game. “They’re getting killed down there. I better get back.”

“Right.” Justin rubs his stubble. He looks nervous. Does he really think there is a chance she’ll say no?

I return to the Frisbee game. I pretend nothing has happened. Jen is watching Justin and Allison talk at the top of the hill. When they disappear to the other side, she smiles at me. I smile back at her. This isn’t a big deal.

My heart is fine. It’s just shattered, bleeding, raw.

No big deal.

The rest of the evening passes like I’ve drunk three espressos. Adrenaline carries me through. I play some Frisbee, make small talk, and listen to Tiffany go on and on about how perfect Allison and Justin are for one another.

As night comes, everyone starts packing stuff up and heading home. Justin and Allison still haven’t returned from the other side of the hill. I won’t allow myself to imagine where they are and what they’re doing. I can’t go there.

Eventually, only Jennifer, Trish, and I remain. Jennifer keeps looking up the hill, waiting.

“This is ridiculous,” she says. “Where are they?”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure they are just walking or something,” Trish offers.

“But this isn’t how it’s supposed to be.”

Trish lets out a sweet laugh. “I know he’s one of your best friends, Jen. But you’ve got to let him live.”

“Not like this.” Jen grumbles. She pulls out her phone. Justin still hasn’t responded to her texts. She sits across the picnic table and reaches her hand out to mine. “We can give you a ride home, Lucy. You shouldn’t have to wait for him like this.” Her eyes search mine.

She knows.

I watch Trish pull a strand of hair out of Jennifer’s eyes. If Jennifer can trust me with her secret, I can definitely trust her with mine.

I squeeze her hand back.

“Yeah. This really sucks.” My eyes fill with tears. “I’m sorry.” I wipe them away.

“How long?” Jennifer asks.

“I honestly have no idea. I mean, he seriously used to irritate me to death. I dreaded talking to him. He drove me crazy. But now …”

“You’re in love with him,” Jennifer states.

I am in love with him. Totally gone, crazy in love with him.

But I can’t have him.

“You need to tell him, Lucy.”

I shake my head. “I can’t now.”

“Sure you can.” Jennifer pats my hand.

“No really, I can’t. He’s happy hanging out with Allison tonight. I’m not going to disrupt that. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll still be here.”

“Waiting.”

I sigh. “Yes, waiting.”

“But what if it does work?” Trish asks.

“Then I’ll be happy for him. If it works that well, we weren’t meant to be.”

“Wow. You really do love him,” Jennifer whispers.

I nod. Tears roll down my cheeks. I’m thankful for the darkness. An absurd laugh follows. Losing it.

Trish stands and extends her hand to me. “Let’s get you home before you go insane, babe.”

Jennifer puts her arm through mine and walks with me up the hill. Trish carries the cooler behind. Jennifer leans toward me. “I think you should tell him. You can’t live like this forever. It’ll destroy you.”

“But what if he doesn’t love me back?”

“Well,” she sighs. “If he doesn’t, he’s an idiot. But at least then you’ll know. You won’t spend your life waiting for him, for a relationship that will never happen. You’d be able to move on.”

Moving on sounds nice. It's better than this extreme pain.

I crawl into the backseat of Trish’s car. Jennifer slides in next to me. Trish puts on some classical music as we pull out of the lot. We drive down the frontage road when Jennifer asks Trish to pull over.

“Justin,” Jennifer yells out the window. Two outlines, one tall and the other petite, walk hand-in-hand toward us. The light from the headlights bounces off Justin’s white shirt. Justin waves and starts jogging over to the car. Allison follows.

I grasp Jennifer’s arm and squeeze. Justin can’t see me like this. Jennifer shoves me down onto the seat. “You’re asleep,” she whispers. I close my eyes and she throws her jacket over me. I concentrate on faking long, steady breaths.

“What’s up?” Justin’s low voice hangs above me. I breathe in and out.

“Lucy’s sleeping,” Jennifer whispers. “We’re taking her home.”

“Oh,” Justin whispers back. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”

“Yup,” Jennifer says shortly. “Everyone else has left. Allison, Tiffany grabbed a ride home with Cole. She left you her car.” She dangles a pair of keys out the window. Great, at least Justin won’t be driving her home. “Cool?”

“Sure,” Allison says with clear disappointment in her voice.

“Jen, can you tell Lucy I’ll call her tomorrow? I need her to come with me to the Hill House again.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yup. I need her help to finish my proposal.”

“Sure, I’ll let her know.”

“Thanks, Jen. You’re the best,” Allison says as she clears her throat possessively.

“Whatever. Later,” Jennifer snaps back. The car creeps forward.

“Wait, Jen.” Justin’s feet patter against the pavement. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Just leave her alone, Justin. She’s just jealous.” I swear Allison hisses.

Trish sucks in a loud lungful of air. I can feel Jennifer glaring at both Justin and Allison. I want to open my eyes and see exactly what is going on but I don’t dare. Justin would want to talk to me then.

“Jen,” Justin says apologetically. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Fine,” Jennifer says as evenly as she can. “Have a good night.” The car picks up momentum. Jennifer shakes my side. “He’s such an idiot. What does he see in her?”

I sit up. “He said that if she’s your friend, she must be worth knowing.”

“But, not like that. We’re friends only because we’ve known each other so long.” She sighs, “Our relationship is complicated. Allison has always been there for me but she’s also in unspoken competition with me. It’s really sick. She just wants to use him. She thinks he’ll help her become Homecoming Queen. I couldn’t care less about that plastic tiara.”

Jennifer continues, “You need to tell him how you feel, Lucy. Even if he doesn’t reciprocate the feelings, he’ll know what you feel is real. Allison is all fake.”

I shake my head. I could never risk our friendship.

“Lucy, you’ll save him from being used. He deserves better than that.”

Her words hit me hard. The thought of Allison viewing Justin that way is disgusting. Justin is so much more than a ticket to a crown. His view of relationships and love is perfect and pure. I can’t let her destroy that.

“Fine, I’ll tell him.” I kick the seat in front of me. “This really sucks. I spent the whole summer figuring out who I am and now I’m going to end up a broken hot mess again.”

“You don’t know that,” Trish offers from the front seat.

I think of Justin’s reaction that morning when he thought I was about to tell him I liked him. “Oh, trust me. I do.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

I spend more time turning in bed than I do sleeping. The next morning, I wake up feeling like my heart is trying to break through my chest wall and fly away to safety. I pace around my kitchen, cell phone always in my back pocket. I am one of those girls again, desperately waiting for a guy to call.

When my cell vibrates, I start trembling. I sit down in the middle of the floor, forcing my body to be still. I take a deep breath. “Hey.”

“Hey, Lady. You answered.” My heart aches at the sound of his voice.

“Of course,” I respond vaguely, failing at my attempt to be intriguing.

“Did Jen tell you I need help with the Hill House today?”

“Not the details. What’s up?” I sound amazingly collected. I start to relax. I can hide these feelings. Maybe I’m not that bad of a liar after all.

“Mason will let us on the grounds again tonight. I just need your opinion about colors and a few problem spots. I’m kind of kicking myself for not doing the research myself.”

“No problem.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up around five? Does that sound good?”

“That’s perfect.”

“Sweet. See you then, Lady.” The phone clicks and he’s gone. I glance at the bird clock; quarter past three. One hour and forty-five minutes to go before friendship destruction.

My heart thuds against my chest and I feel dizzy. I race to the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. My cheeks contrast bright red against my ghostly pale skin. My pupils are more dilated than when I leave the eye doctor.

This is what I look like lovesick; a complete lunatic.

I fill the bathtub. I refuse to look like this when I confess my love. I need some dignity.

I soak in the tub for almost an hour. My veins dilate and my heart rate slows. I am going to approach this as a calm and collected individual. I dry my hair and make some long, loose curls. I know I look a bit overdone but I don’t care. This is my only chance. I’m not about to let my hair ruin it. Not that Justin seems to be the type of guy who cares. But still.

I grab my favorite pair of jeans, the one that Marissa told me makes my butt look fat. I pair it with an ivory lace top over a lilac racerback tank. Now to loosen up the curls; my fingers give a gentle tug. I stand up straight and smile at my reflection. A dewy, movie-star version of me smiles back. I twirl. My reflection gives me a little hope. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll be so struck that he forgets Allison all together.

I wait in my kitchen. I don’t want to see him pull up. I’ll be too tempted to walk out and meet him in the driveway. I need Justin’s instincts to guide him to my door and ring the bell. Anything to jostle his subconscious into putting me outside of his “just friends” category.

My pacing returns as I stare down the minute hand on that stupid bird clock. I’m thankful my family isn’t around. They are in Stillwater where Mom is being honored at a garden expo while Dad and Eric take a train and boat tour. There isn’t any way they’d have missed my nerves or my appearance. Fate has kindly spared me that conversation.

The sound of the Canadian goose honking makes my heart flutter. Five o’clock. I stand still, taking slow, deep breaths. A few seconds later the doorbell rings. Justin, always punctual.

Okay. I can do this.

I picture Allison hanging on Justin’s arm with the homecoming crown perched on her head.

I have to do this.

I throw my shoulders back and walk to the front door. My hand operates separately from my body as I reach and pull it open.

“Hey,” the word sounds unusually calm. That bath really worked.

“Oh.” Justin shakes his head slightly. His eyes quickly look me over. My heart leaps but somehow I remain calm. He notices me. “You ready?”

“Yup,” I step out. I resist running ahead and jumping into the passenger seat. He leads me around the Crossover, pulling the door open for me. “Thanks,” I say as I slide onto the seat. I feel like I’m in the final quarter of the basketball game. It’s now or never. I smile at him and let my eyes linger for a full second. Terrifying.

“Uh, sure,” he mumbles. I fiddle with my bracelet as he walks around the car. The guilt of my manipulation pokes at me. But I have to use what I can to my advantage. Justin climbs into the car. “What’s with the new look?” he asks.

“Oh, I got bored this afternoon. Just playing around.” I shrug. “It’s a girl thing.”

“Well,” he looks me over again. My heart clunks. “It works.” His lips part into a crooked smile. “Some guy will be lucky someday.”

He means it as a compliment but it hits me as a rejection. I don’t want it to be some guy. I want it to be him.

Justin puts the car in reverse and hands me the notebook. The notebook is nearly full with his extra notes. I page through; yellow highlighter details most of my points and his scribbling handwriting decorates the margins. “You really read this, huh?” I make myself laugh casually.

“I take my job very seriously.” His tone is distant, reminding me of his cold approach just a few weeks earlier. I start feeling sick. I open my phone and check my contacts, making sure Trish’s name is still listed. She’ll be picking me up when this is all over.

Justin starts berating me with questions about homemade paint in the 1800’s and the types of milk protein they used. My notes on the topic are sparse so I answer the best I can from memory. He hands me his iPhone to Google when I need it.

Crap. I am his research assistant. I can’t be farther from where I need to be by the end of the night.

The gates to the mansion are open and Justin pulls up under the carriage entrance. Mason meets us outside and pulls the door open for me. “Wow, Lucy. You look beautiful,” he says as he gives me his hand to help me step out of the SUV.

“Thanks.” I act like I am told this all the time. Justin walks around to my side of the Crossover.

“Ready?” Mason asks.

“Yup. Let’s show her the problems.”

Mason opens the front door and I step inside. The beauty of the rich woodwork makes me stall. Mason laughs. “Yeah. She’s always radiant.” He places a hand on my shoulder, leading me forward. “Don’t you agree, Justin?” He winks at me. At least I have one ally tonight.

“Yup. Every time I come here I discover a new woodcarving or little nook in a room. The place is full of surprises.” Justin pushes past us to a small back stairway.

“Slow down, Justin. No need to rush. Or you’ll miss the beauty.” Justin’s pace quickens down the stairs. Mason shrugs at me. “I try.”

“Don’t worry about it. He just really wants to get the job.”

“He’s going to get the job. The historical society wants more funding. They aren’t going to reject the soon-to-be governor’s son.”

“Oh. I never thought of that.”

“Well hopefully Justin hasn’t either. I want him to think he deserves it when they give him the gig.”

“But he does.” I pull out the notebook, showing him the notes and countless drafts of proposals Justin created. “I doubt any other company has spent this much time studying Summit Avenue homes and 19^th century painting techniques.”

Mason whistles as he scans our notes. “Well, I’ll be. He really has done his homework. I always knew that kid had class. Listen, please don’t tell him what I said about him getting the job because of his dad.” Mason shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have said that. If he put a different name on this proposal, he’d get the job over his father’s namesake.” He pats me on the shoulder. “You’re right. He deserves it.”

I feel sorry for Justin as I follow Mason down the stairs. It never occurred to me how hard he’d have to work to prove to himself and others that he isn’t just sliding by as his father’s son. What I once took for his ego is actually raw determination to be the best he can be. No wonder he loves that truck— it’s his own thing. Warmth spreads through my belly and I know I just fell more in love with Justin than a minute before. Crap.

“Did you say something?” Mason looks back over his shoulder at me.

“Yeah, did we see this before?” This stairway is plainer than any other area of the house.

“No. These stairs were for the hired help: cooks, maids, seamstresses, butlers.” Mason cracks his back on the first landing. “But if you ask me, they deserved that grand stairway or,” he laughs, “an elevator.”

“I bet. I’m sure you put a lot of miles in every day around this joint.”

He pulls a small box off his belt loop and hands it to me. “I’ve put in nine today and I still haven’t closed the place up. It’s okay though,” he pats his flat stomach. “I can eat all the brownies I want.”

I laugh as we descend into the basement. I recognize the kitchen that we saw a few weeks ago. The room is dark and cold. Justin waits for us, tapping the wooden island impatiently. My stomach twists into a tight knot. He’s probably planning on meeting Allison later.

“Over here, Lucy.” He waves me to the corner of the kitchen and shows me some faded baseboards. I get down on my knees to examine the work. The trim is a dull red that I haven’t seen before. A few white spots interrupt the flow of the dull color as well as a few faded brush strokes. I lightly touch the paint over the brush strokes. I can still feel the texture.

I push myself away from the baseboard and look up at Justin. “The second volume I studied featured milk-based paint. This stuff here is that original stuff. The red color looks like it was made from brick powder.” I point to the white spots. “Those are water marks. They washed away the pigment.” I stand up and brush off my knees.

Justin smiles at me and my head spins. I sidestep and he grabs my arm; my whole body warms at his touch. I know I’m blushing. “Are you okay?”

I force myself to step away from his touch. It’s actually painful. “I’m fine,” I say. “I think I just stood up too fast. That’s all.”

Mason walks over and bends down to examine the board. “Why is the paint still here?” he asks.

“Chances are whoever did the original painting got distracted and forgot to seal the board,” I offer.

“And more modern painters were too scared to touch it.” Justin shakes his head. “I’m glad they didn’t. Do you think the historical society would be interested in this?” he asks Mason.

Mason is still crouched down on the ground, touching the board lightly. “Absolutely,” he says. “They can learn so much from just pulling a few isotopes.” He looks up at me. “Great job, Lucy.”

“Is there more?” I ask. Justin nods and leads me to a nook off the laundry room. A few shelves are painted in the same way. “Yup. Milk-based,” I assess.

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 521