5. Fire and Fog
5
FIRE AND FOG
T heo
By the time Jasmine and Lux rejoined us on the beach, it was after five o’clock and we had the fire roaring. Several sausages and an aluminum tray of homemade mac and cheese were cooking on the wire grill placed over the hot coals.
Desmond patiently tended to the sausages with metal tongs, turning them every so often so they’d brown while Zoey sat on the other side of the fire, stirring the mac and cheese with a wooden spoon. Her legs were crossed, her expression peaceful as she rested against Kai’s knees. He sat behind her in a camping chair, sipping a beer, bobbing along to The Tragically Hip, his favourite band.
With the distant echo of the loons down the river, a sense of peace settled over me. We’d gone camping as a group many times before. Most of us had grown up together in Sudbury, spending a lot of the weekends in our late teens camping on Baz’s family’s extensive property near Whitewater Lake, or one of the local provincial parks.
The French River was a group favourite, and we’d been camping here many times before. We knew the best routes, the best places to jump off cliffs, and we knew where all the best campsites were.
We’d done this so many times together that we’d learned how to work in sync for a more effective trip. It was easier when everyone brought a little bit of something. Less supplies, no duplicates, and we were able to make the ice last a hell of a lot longer. It felt less like work this way, too.
It was a tradition of ours to get together at least a few times throughout the summer for portage camping trips.
Lux brought down a camp chair, unfolding it beside Jasmine’s, across the fire from me. I stood with one foot on the stump we’d used to chop wood, trying my hardest not to stare in her direction. I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, like the pretty new toy at the playground, but she was damn hard not to look at.
“Feels good to be back here, huh?” Desmond remarked quietly, following my gaze. I glanced back at him.
He wasn’t usually much of a talker, and when he did talk, it wasn’t about superficial things like how attractive someone was. But he was observant, and he’d caught me checking out Lux a hundred times already today. This was his subtle way of calling me out for it, his knowing eyes missing nothing.
“It does.” I nodded, letting him know that: yes, I do think she’s pretty . I was still looking at him when his gaze moved from Lux to Jasmine, and the look in his eyes changed slightly. It was almost completely undetectable, but I’d caught on to him. He had feelings for her, although I doubted he’d ever act on them.
I’d known Desmond my whole life—our dads had worked together, and we’d gone to elementary school together. We’d later met Baz, Kai, and Zoey in high school. After graduating, Desmond went to trades school for welding, and I went to Trent to get a degree in Environmental Geoscience before heading to Laurentian University to get my PhD in Mineral Deposits and Precambrian Geology.
Shortly after graduating, Desmond started working for the same mining company as our fathers, while I landed a job as a junior environmental geoscientist at an international consulting firm. The firm provided a broad range of engineering, geosciences and environmental services to the mining, water resources, hydropower, geotechnical, oil sands, oil and gas, and government sections.
In the last six years, I’d gained a lot of invaluable experience in acid rock drainage and metal leaching, as well as mine waste hydrogeochemistry and geochemical sampling. I lived and worked primarily in the Greater Sudbury area, but sometimes my job brought me to our many other locations in other countries.
I’d just got back from checking in on one of our mines in British Columbia, and in three weeks’ time, I would be flying out to one of our mines in Peru to run some tests on the soil. I was scheduled to be there for at least a week.
I loved my job. There was something new to do every day, even when I wasn’t travelling outside of the province on contracts. The money for a junior geoscientist was good, so good that I’d been able to pay off my student debts and go in on a duplex with Desmond.
Of course, the duplex had been in dire need of repairs when we’d purchased it, so we’d gotten it for a steal. It took a year for us to tackle the extensive—and expensive—renovations, hiring Baz and Kai to do most of the work. Desmond and I worked on the project too, whenever we had a spare minute.
After we’d finished renovating, we began to rent out one side of the duplex to university students. That was how Jasmine and Talia had joined our group of friends, they’d both rented rooms off us five years ago, and we’d all hit off.
Another laugh brought my attention to her again. My gaze collided with Lux’s, and I felt the pull and could taste the tension between us, like an impending storm. There’s nothing I loved more than a good storm.
Desmond flipped the sausages over the crackling flames. I drew in lungfuls of fresh, northern air, appreciating being back in Ontario again.
I had done a lot of travelling since I started working for the firm, but out of all the places I’d been, nothing compared to my home province. It was good to be back, among friends and family.
I was happy we’d chosen the French River for our trip this year. Nice and secluded, it allowed us an opportunity to appreciate nature and be boisterous about it. The sites were so spread out that we could play music without disturbing other campers, and it was close to Sudbury, where we lived.
We’d all gotten busier with each year that passed; between new jobs, demanding careers, and life in general—our group trips were slowing. Hell, Zoey and Kai were engaged now, and getting married in the fall.
They’d be the first in our circle to tie the knot, and I couldn’t be more excited for them. Zoey and Kai had overcome a lot in their relationship, with Kai’s seizures and the stroke. Things had been difficult for them, but their love had always come easily.
If two people deserved a happily ever after, if it was them. But watching them together now had me thinking about my own destiny. I wasn’t sure what that was, yet, but…
My eyes were pulled back to the siren across the fire. She was so damn gorgeous, a seductress with those lips and curves—curves I wanted to escape in for hours. But there was something sweet and unassuming about her. Angelic, even. It was difficult not to want to know her, to know exactly what it was about her that called to me. Was it just her looks, or something more?
I wasn’t afraid of my immediate attraction to her, not the way I would have been a few years ago. Now, it felt like I’d been waiting for her—or waiting for the feeling like the one I got when I looked at her. It was a feeling of… more . Of endless possibilities.
And I knew that was a crazy thought to have after just having met someone, but there was something different about her. Something potent and essential, something elemental. She’d bewitched me, and I found I wasn’t even mad about it. Instead, I was fascinated by not only her, but my reaction to her. My thirst to know more about her was similar to my thirst to learn about naturally occurring inorganic elements and compounds. I wanted to learn about her internal structure, about all the chemical compositions that made up her breathtaking form.
Lux leaned forward and whispered something to Jasmine, her eyes aglow with conspiracy. I grinned, wagering they were probably talking about me. At least, by her smile and the glow in her cheeks I’d hoped they were.
“Dinner’s ready! Dig in,” Zoey sang. Lux held back, waiting until everyone else had grabbed something to eat. She filled her plate with mac and cheese and a sausage, sitting down in her seat across the fire.
Everyone dug in, and for several moments nobody talked. The crackling fire, lapping water, and the call of a loon on the river were the soundtrack to our meal. Zoey’s salty, cheesy mac and cheese hit the spot, and the companionable silence made me feel at ease with the world.
Once the food had been consumed and the mess cleaned up, we stayed seated around the fire, drinking and catching up on the things we’d missed in each other’s lives. Although most of us had stayed local, our jobs and daily demands meant we didn’t get together as much as we used to.
Back when everyone had lived at or near the duplex, it was easier to get together. We’d have a bonfire in the backyard every weekend. About a year ago, Baz and Rhiannon had purchased their first house together and moved. They now lived in a bungalow twenty-minutes north of Sudbury.
So, it was good to sit down around a fire, share a few drinks, and catch up. One of the most interesting stories of the night came from Rhiannon.
Earlier this year, she had photographed a celebrity wedding. She and Baz had signed an NDA and couldn’t talk about it until the couple announced the wedding. Rhiannon was officially free to talk about it, and show off her photos. It was huge news.
In an exclusive five page spread with Music Magazine, Travis Channing spoke about falling in love with the girl of his dreams. Rhiannon’s photographs of the couple’s small, intimate wedding in Banff, Alberta made the front page.
“It’s crazy how many followers I’ve gained since they published the magazine. And how many inquires I’ve gotten for weddings! I’m booked up for next year already, and I’ve started taking bookings for two years from now!”
“That’s so cool! How did you get the job?” Lux asked, captivated by Rhiannon’s story.
“Through Baz’s mutual friend.” Rhiannon answered. “The job fell in my lap. Gordon, Baz’s friend, arranged for me to meet with the wedding planner. Her name was Elle Thompson. I only ever communicated with her; I had no idea who the mystery couple was that I’d be photographing until I arrived to shoot their wedding.”
“I had my suspicions,” Baz claimed with a smile. “Gordon doesn’t know many celebrities. Of course, he does work on a lot of rich people’s cottages, so it could have been a rich client.”
Jasmine was on her phone, on Rhiannon’s Gram account, showing Lux the photographs.
“Oh, these are stunning!” Lux gushed.
“I can’t believe we’re going to have the same wedding photographer as Travis Channing,” Zoey said dreamily, looking up at Kai over her shoulder. He was whittling one end of a stick, and he paused what he was doing to press a kiss to her lips.
“I can’t wait for your wedding.” Rhiannon grinned. “I have some ideas in mind!”
“Oooh! Tell me!” Zoey squealed, shuffling closer to Rhiannon so they could talk wedding stuff.
“So, Lux. You just graduated, right?” I asked, trying to make casual conversation—and learn a little more about her. I tried not to appear overly interested, but it was so hard for me to not show my hand when faced with an exciting new discovery.
“Yeah…with my degree in medical radiation sciences.”
“What made you want to get into that?”
“When I was seven, I broke my leg falling off the monkey bars. I had to get x-rays, and I remember being so afraid of the machine. There was a radiology technologist that calmed me right down. She took the time to teach me a little about the machine, so I would know how it worked and wouldn’t fear it.”
“That was really nice of her,” Rhiannon remarked, her face softening. Rhiannon had spent a lot of time in hospitals as a child, she had a bunch of her own stories about medical professionals.
Rhiannon had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare inherited condition that affects connective tissues such as skin, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, internal organs and bones. When she was a child, she’d had a major surgery to straighten her spine and put in rods.
“Yeah, it was.” Lux nodded with agreement. “I always knew I wanted to do something in the medical field, like my dad—he’s a cardiologist. But, I don’t know. That one experience stuck out in my head…and when it came time to pick a program, I read up on that one and just knew.”
“That’s cool. Now the fun part of job hunting begins,” Zoey chuckled.
“Yeah, I’ve already started that fun process,” Lux laughed lightly. “I’m hoping I can find an entry position somewhere soon. I’m not picky about where I have to go, so I’ve been applying all over the province.”
“Hopefully something will come up soon for you,” Rhiannon said.
“Thank you.” Lux smiled.
“Speaking of x-rays…” Kai said, a mischievous grin on his face. “What’s one body part you wouldn’t mind losing?” he asked Zoey, and Lux’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Oooh are we going to play campfire questions?” Zoey exclaimed, clapping her hands.
Noticing Lux’s confusion, I leaned forward. “It’s a game we all started playing when we were teens while camping in Baz’s backyard. Basically, you have to come up with a question and the person to your left has to answer before asking their own question to the person on their left, and so on and so forth.”
“I think I’d be okay with losing a toe.” Zoey said, after I’d had a chance to explain the game to Luz.
“You can’t pick a toe,” Kai frowned. “That’s so lame. Anyone can live without a toe.”
“Toes are actually pretty important for your balance, so. I stand by my answer,” Zoey said firmly. She turned to look at me. “What’s a nickname you’ve had that you secretly hated?”
I narrowed my eyes at her, resenting her question—and the rules of the game. If you wanted to omit answering a question, you had to take a drink. If you couldn’t think of a question, you had to take a drink. It was essentially a fun drinking game, and a fun way to pass the time.
I drank the contents of my beer instead of answering. There was no way in hell I was going to announce to Lux that my nickname in public school had been Chubster. I’d been a chunky kid, but the nickname had come from the unfortunate time I’d popped a boner while in front of the class reading my speech on the difference between rocks and minerals. It was one of those pre-pubescent involuntary boners, but it happened in front of our entire homeroom so…yeah. Not my finest moment, or memory, for that matter.
Zoey cackled in delight, knowing full well why I wouldn’t answer.
“Which famous person do you do the best impression of?” I asked Talia.
Talia arched a brow, grinning before launching into the best impersonation of Jim Carey from Ace Ventura, strolling over to the fire to grab another sausage.
Then it was Talia’s turn. She turned to Lux, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “So, Lux. What do you prefer: tacos or sausage?” she asked, waiting for Lux to fall into her trap.
“Well, these were very good but I think I prefer tacos,” Lux answered, thinking Talia was referring to food.
“Me too! I love tacos. Are you single?” Talia questioned. She was bold and abrupt, and not one to shy away from intrusive questions—and she was baiting me.
I’d met Talia while at Laurentian University, and she’d quickly become a close friend of mine. She’d started renting a room from us after we finished renovations on the duplex, and she still lived there, working as a Wetlands Research Assistant for the Lake Laurentian Conservation Area. One of Talia’s favourite pastimes throughout our time at university was trying to pick up the girls I was interested in before I could whenever we went out together. She’d place a wager, enticing me to participate in her shenanigans.
It was her way of prying me out of my natural state of awkward shyness when it came to the opposite sex, her way of challenging me to go for what I wanted. Sometimes, it worked in Talia’s favour, and sometimes I got the girl. Talia was an excellent wingman.
I knew her intention this time around came from Talia wanting to push me into making a move. There was interest in Lux’s gazes, in the shy smiles she’d given me each time I caught her looking—and vice versa.
“Um, yes…I’m single,” Lux answered, her gaze moving from Talia to me. Likely wondering what tacos and sausage had to do with it, or if Talia was fishing for information on my behalf. But I didn’t need Talia to talk to her for me. I was letting her get settled in. It was easy to see that Lux didn’t feel fully comfortable around us yet, and I wanted her to feel comfortable before I made a move. Even if she kept looking at me with those smoky quartz eyes.
“Lux is all about the sausage, Talia. Sorry!” Jasmine teased, answering for her friend.
“That’s too bad,” Talia said flirtatiously.
Lux, who’d been in the midst of drinking, coughed, her eyes widening with surprise, like she wasn’t accustomed to being blatantly hit on. The blush returned, this time deeper. Once again, the attention seemed to make her uncomfortable.
I couldn’t help but take in every little detail about her. The way her embarrassment coloured her cheeks, the way she smiled politely, like she was wishing the ground would open and swallow her whole. I wanted to know why she shied away from being the centre of attention, despite being as captivating as the setting sun over the river.
“But I honestly wouldn’t blame you if you changed your mind about men and want to do a little taco experimenting!” Jasmine added with a cackle. Lux leveled her with a serious look before she burst out laughing, too.
“Oh, this sounds good. What did he do?!” Talia leaned forward, sensing there was a story.
Lux’s laughter died. “He cheated.” Jasmine went to say something, but Lux kicked her chair in warning.
“Damn, that sucks. I don’t get why people cheat. There’s no need for it anymore, not when there are so many people who want to be in polyamorous relationships. There are entire dating websites dedicated to it.”
“Is there really?” Kai sounded surprised.
“Well, yeah. There are entire websites dedicated to all sorts of kinks,” Talia informed him. “The Internet is a vast place.”
“I’m really sorry, Lux. How long were you guys together?” Zoey asked.
She looked like she didn’t really want to answer the question, but she did.
“Since high school.”
Talia let out a low whistle. “That’s a long time. I don’t think I’ve had a relationship that’s lasted longer than three months. But I think relationships are overrated, anyway. You don’t need to be in one to be happy!”
Lux’s gaze slid to me, then away just as quickly. I could make out the flush of her cheeks from the glow of the fire; she was embarrassed, either by the subject itself or the attention she was garnering from everyone else around the campfire. I didn’t blame the others for being interested. We’d heard each other’s stories before, but she was a mystery—one I wanted to unravel.
“Now that you’re finished with school, where do you plan on going next?” Zoey asked Lux. The game of campfire questions had fallen to the wayside as everyone else seemed more interested in getting to know Lux.
She brought her beer to her lips and took a sip before replying. “I’m not sure, I’ve applied for a bunch of jobs in a bunch of different areas. It’ll depend on where I get a call back from. I’m not really picky and I’ll work at a medical clinic, but I’m hoping for a hospital position.”
“I’d love to be a registered nurse and work with little kids. Right now, I’m just a PSW,” Zoey remarked.
“Don’t downplay what you do, babe,” Kai lectured, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You know those old ladies you take care of would be lost without you.”
Zoey peered up at him, an amused look on her face. “Only until they forget about me,” she corrected with a light laugh. Then she looked back at Lux. “Dementia is a hell of a disease. A lot of my patients suffer from various stages of it. Some don’t even know who their own family members are.”
“That’s sad,” Lux looked like she wanted to weep. “My grandma had dementia. I don’t remember much about her, she died when I was eight, but I remember how she forgot who I was by the end of it.”
Zoey nodded, the two of them sharing a moment.
“I miss school—just the environment of learning. I graduated from the photography program a few years ago. Running my own business has been fun, but a huge learning curve,” Rhiannon said.
“Finishing school does seem to be the easy bit. At least I’m not the only one struggling to figure it out, though!” Lux replied, grinning at Jasmine. “My little history buff.”
Jasmine stood up and took a bow. “Thank you, thank you. It was dicey for a bit there—many times I wanted to throw in the towel and join an off-the-grid commune—but I have achieved what I set out to do. I now have my PhD in Human Studies and Interdisciplinarity!”
“What are you going to do with it?” Baz teased.
“I don’t know yet,” Jasmine answered honestly. “But hopefully, good things.”
“Well, I for one hope you do go into politics. At least you’ll remember the working poor and the most vulnerable,” Zoey commented, earning a small smile from Jasmine.
Jasmine’s father had been the Mayor of Guelph, and he’d done a lot of good during the years he served. He was now the local MPP for Guelph. He often clashed with Dudley Wadsworth, the Premier of Ontario, but he got things done and he had the general respect of his constituents.
I’d met him a few times, and I’d liked him. It was easy to see where Jasmine got her huge heart from, and her desire to create positive change.
“Tomorrow we’re going cliff jumping. You gonna join us, Princess?” Talia asked, leaning forward to poke at the fire with a stick.
Lifting my beer, I watched her, waiting on her answer while I took a sip.
“Yes,” she replied, looking from Talia to me briefly before moving her gaze on to Jasmine. “I’m not sure if I’ll actually jump, but I do want to see the cliffs.”
“Excellent choice,” Talia said, raising her beer to the air in salute. “I bet you’ll jump. That, or Jasmine will shove you in.”
“I wouldn’t,” Jasmine assured her, eyes wide with innocence. “No really, I wouldn’t Lux. It’s too high; I’d never do that to you. Anything less than five feet and its go time, though.”
“Less than five feet?” Lux repeated, brow arching. “How tall is this cliff, and how do we climb up it?”
“There’s a pathway to get to the top, it’s a little steep but it’s not too bad. There’s about a fifty-five-foot drop,” I replied, poking at the fire with a thick stick I’d found and whittled into a poker.
The colour faded from Lux’s complexion.
“Moose can manage the path easily enough, so you’ll be alright,” Rhiannon supplied helpfully.
“Moose has four legs,” Lux deadpanned, and Jasmine laughed at her look of discomfort.
“Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds.” Zoey assured her. “The hike up, I mean. If you don’t like heights, you won’t like the fall.”
“I don’t jump, it’s too high for me. You can keep me company if you’d like,” Rhiannon offered, and Lux sent her a relieved smile, relaxing a little.
“Okay, that sounds fun. I’ll get a camera’s-eye view of the action that way.”
“Ah, you noticed. Sorry about that,” Rhiannon giggled. “I’m always looking for that perfect shot, you know? It’s the curse of a photographer.”
“I get it,” Lux laughed lightly. “I always strive to get the right shot, too. Especially the first time around. Nothing sucks more than having to re-do x-rays because they turned out blurry.”
“Ha! That’s true. Well, I’m excited to get some shots tomorrow of everyone jumping.”
Lux winced. “I’ll try to stay out of your way. If you took my picture, you’d get endless captures of me being awkward—I’m not perfect shot material.”
I found that hard to believe. She was too beautiful to not be the focal point in the room, any time she went anywhere.
“You’re far too graceful to be considered awkward.” I found myself commenting.
“Theo’s right. I snuck a few shots of you and Jas setting up the tent. You definitely don’t look awkward, you’re a natural!” Rhiannon assured her. “But I get it, a lot of people aren’t comfortable in front of the camera.”
“How long have you been into photography?”
“Since I was twelve. My poppop was really into photography, and gave me my first camera,” Rhiannon said, pausing to take a sip of her drink. “I’ve always loved documenting moments, so I specialize in weddings and lifestyle photography.”
“You can officially call yourself a high-profile wedding photographer now,” Baz bragged, and Rhiannon playfully slapped his chest with the back of her hand.
“Hardly!” Rhiannon giggled.
“What! It’s true. Travis Channing is high-profile.”
“Baz is right, Travis is one of the most popular country musicians right now,” Jasmine added.
“Yeah, he’s pretty cool, and his wife is a sweetheart.”
“They covered travel expenses and I was even able to go as Rhi’s assistant,” Baz grinned with pride. “She nearly fainted when she saw who was getting married,” he added, and we all laughed.
“Actually, you nearly fainted. I was fine,” Rhiannon argued, rolling her eyes, although the smile never left her face.