Read Online Whispers from the Past by Elizabeth Langston - Free Book Online Page B

homework due?”
    “We have to turn it in before spring break.”
    “A few more days, then.” She took a sip of her tea, her gaze never leaving my face.
    “Are you going anywhere for spring break?” Gabrielle asked.
    Susanna shook her head. “I am scheduled to work most days in March. I cannot take a trip.”
    I shook my head, too. I wasn’t going anywhere either, not without her.
    Gabrielle’s smile widened. “Where would you go if you could?”
    Susanna set her mug on the table and folded her hands in her lap. “I would like to see the ocean someday.”
    “You’ve never mentioned that to me.” Her statement left me feeling guilty and hungry at the same time.
    She turned to me, expression soft with want. “I should like it above all places I can imagine.”
    Why hadn’t I known that? Had I been so consumed the past few months with getting her an identity that I’d forgotten to ask her what she wanted to do for fun? Damn.
    I wanted to be the one to show it all to her. “What shift are you working tomorrow?”
    “Supper.”
    “Let’s go tomorrow. I can have you back in time.”
    Her face remained calm, but her eyes? The way they were looking at me made me wish we were alone. “Are you certain?”
    “Very.” I sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll have to pick you up early.”
    “You know when I awaken.”
    I couldn’t help it. I pushed my chair closer to her, pressed a kiss to a spot below her ear, and whispered, “Want to go now?”
    She laughed. I could feel the warmth of her blush.
    On the opposite side of the table, Gabrielle shifted on her seat. “Mark, did you want to tell Susanna the other reason we came here tonight?”
    “Oh. Right.” I straightened. Reaching into my backpack, I fumbled for the envelope and then handed it over to her. “This came for you in the mail today.”
    She took it, glanced at the return address, and then laid it facedown on the table.
    I didn’t expect that reaction. “I think it’s about your placement exam.”
    “Indeed.”
    “Aren’t you going to open it?”
    “I do not need to. I received the results yesterday in an email.”
    I stiffened. She’d known for over twenty-four hours? “Were you going to tell me?”
    She glanced at Gabrielle and then back to me. “I planned to speak of it later.”
    “How did you do?” Did my voice sound as upset as I felt?
    “I passed. I shall enroll soon in the online GED courses at the community college.”
    “Congratulations,” Gabrielle said. “How soon before you’re able to go to a real college?”
    Susanna frowned. “I have no plans to attend a university.”
    Wow? Really? Not get a bachelor’s degree ever ? I thought her only objection to college was the cost.
    Gabrielle beat me to the obvious question. “Why not?”
    “I do not need a university degree for the types of jobs I’m interested in.”
    “Like what?”
    “Perhaps cooking.”
    “If you want to be a chef, you could go someplace like Culinary Institute of America.”
    Susanna looked to me for help.
    I wasn’t feeling very helpful at the moment. Why hadn’t she bothered to tell me about her placement exam or her college plans? “It’s where chefs go to learn how to cook.”
    She turned back to Gabrielle. “I have no need to learn. I’ve been cooking since I was quite young.”
    “Like when you were in that village?”
    A tremor passed through Susanna. “Yes.”
    I listened to the two of them talk, back and forth, not saying much myself. Susanna’s rejection of college had me completely stunned.
    Gabrielle leaned in. “Did the homes have regular kitchens?”
    “There were no appliances. I cooked on a hearth.”
    “Did you chop wood and build your own fire?”
    “I can chop wood, although we used corn cobs more often during the summer. So, yes, I cooked over fire.” Susanna’s smile was tense. “I prefer it.”
    “How did you buy groceries?”
    “We didn’t have to. We had a garden and raised our own poultry and