Turn Darkly (3 page)

“Consider it your graduation present, and a very poor, albeit practical, representation of just how proud we are of you.” Michael put his arm around Regan’s shoulders.

Regan had nearly been done with her bachelors of science in physics, and had been accepted to the Wiess School of Natural Sciences at Rice University for her master’s work in Astronomy. She was planning to come back to Texas A&M to complete her doctorate, since that was where both her parents had received their doctorates. Her mother had been in engineering, and her father in anthropology.

Driving home from dropping the van off, Regan’s parents had been hit head on by a semi whose operator had fallen asleep after driving for thirteen straight hours. The two most important people in Regan’s life had vanished, leaving her resentful of their absence, and shattered by the brutality of their deaths.

“Penny for your thoughts?” A man’s voice interrupted Regan’s remembrances.

Before turning around to face the man, Regan wiped the errant tear from her cheek. She never wanted to be the astronomer that cried at the observatory.

“Sorry, what?” Regan turned in her chair to face the man.

“I said - never mind, it was stupid.” The man was in his early thirties, six feet tall, with sandy blond hair. He was dressed in a pair of oversized khaki cargo shorts, and a faded gray Baylor University t-shirt. “I’m Jason Wiggles.”

Regan couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you putting me on?”

The man frowned, and then grinned. “Oh, the suggestive last name.” He shrugged. “It’s sadly my actual name, but hey - great icebreaker.”

Regan stood up, and extended her hand. “Regan Andrews.”

“Regan? As in the Exorcist?” The man’s left eyebrow shot up.

This wasn’t the first time Regan had heard the comparison. “If I say yes, where do we go from there?”

Jason laughed. “Awesome.” Pulling a chair over from one of the adjacent desks, he sat down. “You’re here for two months, right?”

Regan sat back down. “Yes. I’m staying in Howell.”

The man cocked his head to the side. “Why not here?”

Regan smirked. “A dorm full of men and little old me? Didn’t feel right.”

A mischievous glint shot across the man’s blue eyes. “What a world we live in when a woman can’t -”

Regan held her hand up. “Stop right there.”

Jason chuckled. “I was just going to say it’s sad those lines have to be drawn.”

Regan sighed. “Sad for the eight men. I assure you
not
for the one woman.”

“Fair enough.” The man stood, and slid the chair back in its place. “I’m heading over to the orientation meeting. Want to walk together?”

Regan was never one to shy away from making a friend, even if Jason may have a slightly twisted slant to him. She had learned over the years that
normal
was a mathematical term that rarely, if ever, applied to human behavior.

It hadn’t been one of Regan’s better runs. She had arrived back at her room after two in the morning from her work at the observatory, and keeping her running schedule, while managing the heat, meant she was up at seven in the morning.

To make matters worse, she had opted not to drive to one of the many state parks that peppered this part of West Texas and trail run. Instead she had done a four mile loop out of Howell, and then back. Though flat, the route offered very little in the way of scenery, and a playlist could only do so much.

Nearing the edge of town, Regan slowed to a brisk walk to begin her cool down. She had returned to running after her parents’ death, and still found comfort in the meditative practice.

Pulling her ear buds out, Regan draped the thin black wire over the back of her neck as she walked up on the porch to the Last Stop. She needed some coffee, and if they had it, a bagel.

“Good morning.” Regan smiled as she entered the small restaurant to find Lily behind the counter. A middle age, heavyset man Regan hadn’t seen before stood at the grill, with his back to the restaurant. The only diner was an elderly man sitting in one of three booths near the back of the restaurant, an
El Paso Times
in his hands.

“Morning.” The dark haired woman managed a weak smile without making eye contact with Regan as she wiped down the front counter with a white towel. “Would you like a menu?”

Hopping up on a stool, Regan shook her head. “No need. Can I wrangle a coffee to go?” She scanned the back counter for signs of bagels. “Do you have bagels?”

Lily looked up at Regan apologetically. “I’m sorry, no. I can make you some toast.”

Regan thought the worried expression on the woman’s face seemed disproportional, and she wanted to reassure her life would go on without bagels and cream cheese. “Toast would be even better. Thanks.”

Pulling her iPhone from the black armband around her right bicep, Regan frowned. Her cell phone service had been spotty since she passed through Fort Stockton, and had not improved since arriving in Howell. She realized she was going to have to keep up with emails and Facebook while at the observatory; otherwise, she was practically off the grid in the small town.

Hearing the hinges on the front door creak, Regan looked up from her phone to see Trent Sexton and two other men coming into the restaurant. The three were dressed in nearly identical outfits, all in faded jeans and long sleeve brown western shirts.

“Lily, three coffees and some eggs.” The three men walked past Regan without a word, their boots making a dull thudding sound on the restaurant’s wood floor. “Henry, how the hell are you?” Trent and his companions sat down in the booth with the elderly man, and the four began a conversation Regan couldn’t hear.

“Here’s your coffee and toast.” Lily slid a paper cup across the counter to Regan, accompanied by a small pastry box. “I put butter and some jams in there.” She looked intently at the counter. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I gave you an assortment.”

Regan was touched the woman had taken the initiative on her behalf. She unzipped the small runner’s wallet she had velcroed to her left wrist, pulling a ten dollar bill free from behind her ID.

“It’s on the house.” Lily looked up at Regan, her light blues eyes sparkling as she smiled at the woman. “I’m taking it out of the twenty you gave me the other day.”

Regan shook her head. “Don’t be silly. That was a tip for not forcing me to eat a protein bar and bottled water for dinner.” She laid the ten dollar bill on the counter, and grabbed the coffee and toast. “See you later.” Without thinking, she winked at the woman, who immediately flushed a bright shade of red and turned her attention to the back counter.

Regan’s hand was on the door, when she thought better of it. Turning around, she walked back to the counter.

“Did you need something else?” Lily asked.

“Actually, I was hoping you could recommend someplace to run around here.” Regan glanced down at her navy blue running shorts and gray V-neck t-shirt. “I try to do at least six miles a day, but this morning’s run was -” Regan hesitated, she didn’t want to insult the woman.

“Boring?” Lily smiled.

Regan rubbed the back of her neck. “I wasn’t going to say it.”

Lily folded the white towel, and laid it to her right on the counter. “I won’t be offended. Why would a boring town offer an enthralling run?”

Regan smiled at the woman, amazed at how gorgeous she was. “Right - I mean exactly.”

The two women looked at each other for several seconds, Regan’s heart pounding in her ears as she hoped her face wasn’t as red as it felt.

“I don’t run, but I like to hike.” Lily reached in the back pocket of her jeans, pulled her order pad out, and removed the pen from behind her left ear. “I’ll write some nearby trails down for you.” Shrugging, she wrote quickly on the pad. “I don’t know if hiking trails make for good running trails, but it’s better scenery than the highway.” She tore the piece of paper free of the pad, and handed it to Regan with a broad smile. Then she nervously glanced at her brother, and her expression changed.

Looking over her shoulder, Regan could see Trent and the other men were still talking, paying them no attention. Taking the paper, Regan smiled back at the woman. The sensation in her chest reminded her of how a high school crush felt, euphoric and heady. “Thanks.”

Stepping away, Regan’s progress came to an abrupt halt as she backed into the door. Awkwardly, she managed to open the door, and exit the restaurant. Standing on the sidewalk, Regan didn’t know if the late morning heat or her encounter with Lily was causing her rise in temperature.

Walking toward her apartment, Regan unfolded the piece of paper Lily had given her. Stopping, she turned back and looked toward the restaurant, a huge grin on her face. Not only had Lily written down three nearby trails, but she had conveniently included her own hiking schedule.

Nearly skipping back to her room, Regan was resigned to
coincidently
run into the beautiful woman.

Following the ranch to market road south out of Howell, Regan looked at her watch. It was nearly eight in the morning. She had overslept, after not getting home from the observatory the night before until two in the morning. Now, she felt certain she would miss Lily at the trail head near Cathedral Peak.

The peak was part of the Chinati Mountains and sat on the outskirts of the Chinati Mountain State Park. The mountain itself was a little over forty five hundred feet in elevation, and based on Regan’s research while at the observatory, offered a myriad of trails around its base.

Pulling off the paved road, Regan parked in a small dirt lot occupied by two trucks. She got out of the van and scanned the area for Lily. Not seeing the woman, her shoulders slumped and she silently berated herself for being tardy.

Strapping the armband with her iPhone in it around her arm, Regan plugged her ear buds in. The trails were rated a moderate difficulty so she anticipated a brisk run, and hoped it would help with her frustrations over missing Lily.

Jogging onto the trail, Regan was surprised at how disappointed she was with not seeing the beautiful woman. After all, she hardly knew her. If she were honest with herself, though, it had less to do with Lily than Regan’s general feelings of isolation since arriving in the remote area.

She had maintained a small but intimate group of friends throughout her years in college, and was missing them, in addition to all the flexibility and variety living in a larger city afforded her. With the exception of her occasional exchanges with Lily, and seeing Jason at the observatory, her social interactions since arriving in Howell two weeks ago had been rendered nearly non-existent.

Rounding a bend, and increasing her speed to traverse a slight incline, Regan was resolved not to throw herself at a practical stranger. She reasoned she had little to nothing in common with Lily, and loneliness wasn’t an excuse for throwing herself at someone.

“Regan!” The sound of Lily’s voice broke through Imagine Dragons’
Demons
, causing Regan to stop and scan the area. Lily was descending from above Regan on the trail, a broad smile on her lips.

Regan pulled her ear buds out, and took several deep breaths. Not only had she been moving at a fairly quick pace, but seeing Lily in a pair of slim fitted tan shorts, and a snug white tank top caused her breath to catch.

“Hey, Lily. Fancy meeting you here.” Regan wiped at the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand.

Lily’s eyes narrowed. “Really? Because I wrote down when I was coming.”

Regan winced. “Right. I meant since I missed you at the trail head - it, it’s cool that we ran into each other anyway.”

Lily nodded, a slight smirk on her face. “I see.” She looked around, and then back at Regan. “So, better than the highway?”

Regan nodded. “Absolutely. Thanks for recommending it.”

Lily smiled, and the two women looked at each other for several awkward seconds before Regan managed to speak. “Are you heading back down?”

“Yes. I have to be at the restaurant by ten, and need time to get showered.”

Regan hoped her disappointment wasn’t too obvious. “Sorry I was late.”

Shaking her head, Lily walked past Regan. “No apologies needed. We didn’t have anything official on the books.”

Regan looked up the trail, and then back down at the retreating woman before deciding she could run any day, but the opportunity to see Lily outside of the Last Stop was rare.

Taking several quick strides, Regan caught up to Lily. “I’ll walk down with you.”

Looking at the ground as she walked, Lily frowned. “Were you done with your run?”

Regan shrugged, and in spite of her resolve from only moments ago, said what she was thinking. “I’d prefer your company.”

There was a slight stutter in the dark haired woman’s step, but she didn’t say anything as the two continued down the trail.

“You work at the observatory?” Lily asked as they came around the last curve before returning to the parking lot.

“I’m there for two months, and then I’m going back to College Station to finish my dissertation, and god willing, they’ll give me my doctorate.”