was lots of small talk, business talk, sports. Her dates were good-looking guys,

nice, but kind of flat. Like a painting, not a sculpture, to use an art analogy.

Not that she'd made much time for relationships. She didn't have much to spare if she was going to make any headway at Garman.

But with Peter conversation was easy. Maybe it was just what happened with

old friends. All the shared history.

Old friends. That's what they were, right? Just old friends.

Peter was finishing his story. “They couldn't get the burn marks off the ceiling. I had to promise to come in over the summer and paint it. Guess that's

the last time I let them mix red phosphorus with potassium chlorate.”

Kate laughed.

“What?” Peter leaned forward toward her chair, head cocked.

“I don't know, nothing, I guess.” She leaned forward as well. “It's just, like…

you've really found your niche here. Teaching I mean. I don't know a molecule

from a mangstrom and even I can see that.”

“Angstrom,” he corrected.

“See?”

He sat back. “I suppose. I mean, I do enjoy it. There's just something about

when a kid gets it, you know? When something in the intangible world becomes

real because of an experiment or a new way of explaining it. It's almost like you

can see a light go on in their eyes.”

“It must be really rewarding, Peter.”

“It is. I mean, I never thought I'd like it this much, but…” He gestured at the

yard, the house where he'd grown up. “Here I am, right where I started.”

She wasn't sure if that was sadness in his voice or not. She folded her arms

around her. It was getting cooler. “Carol mentioned you might be leaving. I mean, not leaving teaching, but maybe getting another job. Somewhere at a larger school.”

He paused, his body angled toward her. It felt like he was studying her, but

she couldn't quite tell because of the dark. “That's just Lucius talking. He has a friend at a private school where he taught once. They have an opening for a science teacher. A place in Chicago, actually. The Dixon School.”

She leaned forward impressed. “Really? The head of my company has two

kids that go there. Pretty prestigious. Are you going to take it?”

“I don't think so. I'm pretty happy here.”

“But aren't you going to even interview?”

“If I know I'm not interested, why should I waste their time?”

“Well, to see if maybe you'll like it. You'll never know until you try.”

Even in the dark she could see him stiffen. “It's not like I have a lot of time

to interview everywhere. I've got a lot of responsibilities here. I know it's just a small-town school, but there are a lot of kids here who depend on us. For some

of them, it's a make-or-break time for them. If I left, I'd feel like I was letting them down.”

She could tell she'd struck a nerve, but pushed on. “But what about you?

You've put your time in. Everyone knows how you took care of your dad and mom, and that's great, that's huge. But you need to think about your own life, too. Maybe there are other students in Chicago who need you just as much.

Maybe more.”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“The pay's probably better, too, you know,” she said.

“Oh, I'm sure.”

Was that sarcasm?

He continued. “But there's more to life than money, right?”

Kate knew success wasn't only about money. It was about your hard work being appreciated, about climbing the next rung on the ladder. “Why not just do

an interview, explore the opportunity—”

“Look, Kate, I don't want to be a jerk about this, but can we change the subject?”

Had she hacked him off? This ground was beginning to seem all-too-

familiar. Geez, she sounded almost like her parents. His career was none of her

business.

She checked her watch. “Oh, look, a message from my office. I'd better check it. I'm sure you've got work to do, too. Papers to grade or something…”