Chapter 8 #2
“I think it all came from a love of stones,” he said.
“Growing up, we would go for walks all over the countryside around New York, and the stones were different depending on where we went. When we went to visit relatives in Pennsylvania or Boston, we found different types of stones and I started reading up about them. It began as a hobby and progressed to being what I wanted to study after finishing school. So, I studied geology, and mining seemed the next logical step. Knowing what kind of rock one is looking at makes mining a good deal easier. And you? Why did you want to be an apothecary?”
“I wanted to be a doctor,” Julie said. “But the closest I was allowed to get was either an apothecary or a nurse. So I decided to study medications and what makes them work.”
“And your father being an apothecary had nothing to do with it?” he asked, cutting into his pie. A bout of steam escaped into the air, and the filling came spilling out of it in a fragrant bouquet of meat and spices.
“My father was glad that I chose to follow in his footsteps. He thought that I would take over when he retired.”
“So why come all this way then?” Andrew asked. He hadn’t wanted to ask these questions yet, although they had been on his mind. He had wanted to ask them when they were alone, and no one was ever really alone in camp. Sound traveled, and everyone knew everything about everyone else.
Julie sighed. “It had a lot to do with the people in our little town. They didn’t respect me as a professional who was trying to help them.
They kept ignoring me and speaking as though I was a child.
It was terribly off-putting, and when I saw your advertisement, I thought, ‘Wow, here’s a chance to make a difference in a place where no one has seen you running around in your underclothes as a child. ’”
Andrew considered this. He had a mental picture of a small Julie running around in a green field. In his mind she was in a shift, barefoot with her dark hair flowing out behind her. He thought she must have been a pretty little girl since she had grown up to be a beautiful woman.
“So, I decided to take a chance on you,” she said, smiling at him. “I’m rather glad I did. You’ve turned out to be a good one.”
“A good what?” Andrew asked, momentarily lost.
“A good egg. A good soul,” Julie said. Her cheeks were pink. Was it the small cider or the nice things she had said to him? He didn’t know or really care. She was lovely, and they were alone. Andrew was in heaven.
“Why am I the only woman in the camp?” she inquired. “I’ve wanted to ask since I arrived, but I thought it would be rude. I mean, the other men are lovely, but I can’t think why they didn’t bring their women with them.”
“Oh, that’s easy to answer,” Andrew said. “They don’t have any apart from aunts and mothers and sisters and the like. We were all single men at the start. Although I suspect we won’t all be for long.”
“Why is that?” Julie asked.
Andrew felt his cheeks get hot.
Staring at him over her plate, she cocked her head to one side. “What did you do?”
“I wasn’t the only one who put an advertisement in the paper,” he admitted, his voice lowering so that other diners couldn’t hear their conversation. “We all placed ads at the same time.”
“And yours is the only one that has been answered?” Julie asked in surprise.
Andrew shrugged. “There could be some answers in this latest batch of letters for the others.” He showed her the pile he had picked up at the post office.
“Well, I hope another lady comes to the camp soon,” Julie said. “Not that I don’t enjoy spending time with you boys, but a girl needs some female company every now and then.”
“I hadn’t thought about it, but it must be hard being constantly surrounded by the men,” he said. “They can be a little rough at times.”
“It’s fine,” she said. “It’s not that at all. It’s just there are things that women talk about that one can’t really talk about with men because they will lose interest and most likely fall asleep. So, having another woman at the camp would be wonderful.”
“We’ll have to cross our fingers,” Andrew said.
When they were done with the pies, the waiter offered them some chocolate cake for dessert, and they decided to have a slice to share.
That turned out to be a wise decision as the slice, when it came, was huge.
“I would never have finished a slice on my own,” Julie said, her eyes wide.
Andrew suspected that he could have managed but said nothing.
He sliced off a little bit of the frosting-covered delight with his fork.
Popping it into his mouth, he wasn’t prepared for the effect the taste would have on him.
It was the richest, creamiest, chocolatiest cake he had ever had.
It was moist and delicious, and once he started, he didn’t seem able to stop until each crumb had been picked up and eaten.
“My goodness,” Julie said, a little bit of chocolate smeared on her cheek. “I think I know how a locust feels. Did we inhale that cake?”
“It would seem so,” Andrew agreed, his eyes on the plate in case they had missed a morsel of it. “Do you want another?”
“I don’t know,” Julie said. “It’s so decadent.”
Adnrew smiled. “Exactly.” He was having too much fun having Julie all to himself. He didn’t want it to end, and so if they had to eat another piece of cake to keep them there a little longer, he was fine with it.
“We really shouldn’t,” Julie said.
And that did it for Andrew. He was always doing what he should the right way at what he hoped was the right time. It was exhausting. No one could live like that forever. It was too much pressure. Just this once he should do something that was the wrong decision but that would be utterly fun.
“Let’s get another slice,” he said, and before he could change his mind, he waved the waiter over.
Another slice of the cake was brought, and Julie and Andrew eyed each other and the plate with mixed feelings. Julie’s thoughts were plain on her face. She was keen to have the cake but also hesitant for some reason. Andrew felt the same way.
“On three,” he said, holding his fork poised.
She nodded.
“One, two, three …”