She laughed at his embarrassment. “It was fifth grade, and you turned as red
as this car.”
Peter was silent, making a right turn onto Franklin Street, which led to the highway out of town. She wondered if she'd joked too much.
“So, everything look the same?” he said.
She surveyed the passing businesses. King Drugs, Copperfield's Books.
She'd spent a lot of Saturday afternoons there in the Young Adult Fantasy section, buried in the latest Harry Potter book. “Pretty much, surprisingly. A little more touristy.” Her eye caught what looked like an art gallery on the corner of
Franklin and Elm. That was new.
“I guess not much ever changes in a small town, huh?” Peter said, slowing
for a stop sign.
“Mmm. Some do, some don't, I suppose.”
The car was picking up speed as they headed out onto the main highway out
of town, the engine settling into a vibrating hum.
“Hey, Roger's Roost is closed? I almost forgot about that place.” She pointed
to a small stand by the side of the road with a large gold star encrusted with light bulbs on top of a white, rusting pole. “Remember when we rode our bikes out
here that one time just to get a chocolate cone, but we forgot we didn't have any money, and the lady gave it to us, anyway?”
She heard him chuckle as he shifted the car down a gear, slowing to make a
turn onto a side road. “Nothing like free ice cream.” The Mustang regained speed as it headed south down Eagle Bluff Road, which led towards the Nitrovex
plant.
At the faster speed, the wind was blowing Kate's hair in ruffled bursts. It felt
good. She could see Peter looking over at her, smiling. The rush of the cool air
seemed to blow out the cobwebs, the seasoned scent of fallen leaves and sweet
grass reminding her of being a kid again. She had to decide whether that was good or bad, and it sobered her.
She could see white tank towers peeking over the trees.
“I suppose you come out here a lot?” she asked.
He shrugged, wheeling the car onto an access road. “Every so often. Two or
three times a year for field trips. Got one coming up in a few weeks, I think.”
The Mustang slowed as it reached the entrance to Nitrovex. The old stone-
and-brick sign was still there, but the plant now stretched down the road. They
drove past warehouses and a row of metal factory buildings with sequential numbers painted on the sides, all the way up to six.
“Wow. I think when I left there were only two plants,” she said as Peter pulled into the large front lot. She'd visited her parents here, but that was just to their offices in a building which wasn't even here anymore. Nothing looked familiar.
“Yeah, it's definitely grown. Went international about six years ago and from
what I understand, it's doing well. Some plants in Europe, one in Asia.” The car
had stopped and was idling. “Guess that's why you're here, huh?”
“Guess so.” The weight of this project was hitting her again. Not only was
this place a lot bigger than she remembered, but the piles of pill-shaped holding
tanks and a maze of tangled pipes reminded her of how out of her depth she was
with all this science stuff. She had read all their materials and almost memorized the Nitrovex website, but seeing it now…it seemed impossible.
Peter must have seen her staring. “I know, impressive, right?” He turned off
the engine and opened his door.
Kate did the same, struggling slightly to push up out of the low-slung car.
