Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 20835 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20835 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Propping her hip against the door, she snorted. “Oh, I’m not worried about that at all. No way in hell am I going to skip my date for a stupid assignment.”
“You heard Dr. McCord. We can’t turn in the report late. If we don’t do the field study this weekend, not only will we have to figure out a time during the week to go out there but we’ll also need to get the whole thing written before class on Friday. We’d be setting ourselves up for failure, and I mean that literally with how he grades.”
She shrugged, not looking the slightest bit worried about tanking her GPA. “Not my problem.”
“If you don’t help with the assignment, I’ll have to let Dr. McCord know,” I warned. “It wouldn’t be fair for me to do all the work but get the same grade as you.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I wouldn’t take advantage of you like that,” she protested, shaking her head. “I’m just gonna drop the class.”
My eyes widened at her explanation. “But the deadline has passed. You’re going to end up with a W on your transcript.”
“It is what it is.” Her lips curved into a mischievous grin. “I’m mostly here for my MRS degree anyway. Taking geology courses was just a way to get my dad off my back since he hoped I would learn enough about seismic surveys to find the right places to drill wells back home for the oil company he’s worked at forever.”
My brows drew together as I echoed, “MRS degree?”
“You know…when a woman attends college to hook a husband. I’m hoping to get an engagement ring before I finish my degree.” She wiggled the fingers of her left hand. “And my date tonight is at the top of my list. He’s hot, smart, and comes from a wealthy family. The perfect trifecta for my future hubby.”
“Ahh, I get it now.” I nodded as I turned to walk away. “Well, good luck with that.”
“Hey, Marielle,” she called.
I glanced over my shoulder. “What?”
“You should go out with the next guy who asks you. Dating might help you lighten up.”
“Thanks for the advice,” I mumbled, my cheeks heating.
I ducked my head and headed to the other side of campus, where my dorm was located. Her words rattled around my brain during the fifteen-minute walk. I wished going on my first date was as simple as she suggested. I’d been asked out by a few guys on campus—including someone from our class last month, which he’d done in front of Shelley. Even if I’d had the time to date, I wasn’t interested in any of those guys. In fact, I’d never met a guy who tempted me to agree to a date.
Back in high school, I hadn’t really worried about my lack of interest in dating. I figured it was just because I was a late bloomer, and I’d meet someone in college who brought my dormant libido to life. But so far, I hadn’t been that lucky. Not that it would really matter when I barely had enough time to get grades that would be good enough for me to be accepted to a decent PhD program. It wasn’t the right time for me to date, so it was probably for the best that I hadn’t met anyone who wasn’t easy to resist.
2
MARIELLE
One of the reasons Dr. McCord had us work in teams on our field reports was to ensure none of his students wandered around the wilderness by themselves. I knew it was safer to use the buddy system, but desperate times called for desperate measures. With less than a week to complete the entire assignment without any help from Shelley, I had no choice but to head to the forest a couple of towns over from campus on my own.
My stash of snacks was running low, so I stopped at the gas station about a mile from where I planned to park. As I walked up to the counter with a basket full of stuff, I realized that I probably should have eaten more at breakfast.
“Oooh, I didn’t realize they carried dill pickle bites here.”
I glanced at the woman behind me in line, my lips curving when I spotted her rounded belly.
“I’ll grab a couple of packs,” the man at her side murmured, brushing his lips against her temple before heading toward the aisle where I grabbed the bag I had just plopped onto the counter.
“You’re not going to have any luck,” I called. “I got the last one.”
“Drat.” The woman puffed out her bottom lip with a sigh. “Just seeing them has my mouth watering.”
Before the guy at the register could scan the bag, I picked it up and offered it to her. “Take it. I have plenty of other snacks to get me through my trek through the woods today.”