Her laugh travelled through his body and left his cells buzzing. He hardly knew her, not really, and even if she was The One like Gram said, like his own vision seconded, it didn’t mean they were meant to be together in this life. The idea made him want to learn everything he could about her just in case this was all he had.
“If you could do anything you wanted, what would it be?” Troll asked, picking one of the dozen questions jumping in his mind. “I mean, in whatever time you’re in or whatever world you’re on.”
“You want to know my big dream, huh?”
“I want to knowallyour dreams.”
Silence. He could sense her reluctance and decided it would help if he went first. “You know what I’ve always wanted to do? Buy a sailboat and travel around the world, go from place to place and stay as long as I like. Maybe dock her and head inland when the urge struck. It’ll never happen, though.”
Lia looked at him. “Why not?”
“The war for one. Even after it ends, it won’t be safe. There are mines, old hatreds,” he explained when she appeared confused. “Bunch of other issues. Money is another factor. Boats aren’t cheap, not ocean-going vessels – and supporting myself while I sailed?” Troll shook his head. “The logistics aren’t workable, not for a man earning army pay.”
“But if you really wanted to . . .” She trailed off.
“Maybe that’s it. I don’t want it badly enough.” He shrugged. “Definitely not badly enough to leave Spec Ops.”
They walked without speaking for a few minutes before Lia asked, “Have you considered that Special Ops is your dream?”
That stopped him in his tracks and Troll thought about it. After a few moments, he nodded slowly. “You could be right. It’s never been something I sat and thought a lot about, though, not like the boat.”
“The boat’s your fantasy, a way to leave behind the stress of life for a little while. Fantasies and dreams are different.”
She said that with such authority that Troll smiled. “So your fantasies about climbing on top of me and having your wicked way are different than your dreams?”
Even in the fading light, he could see the blush stain her cheeks. “You can’t know – I never said –” When his grin grew bigger, her eyes narrowed and she groaned. “Damn, you were fishing . . .”
Troll released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders instead. “Yep. So now that you probably can’t get much more embarrassed, why don’t you share your dream?”
“You’re more diabolical than I thought.”
“I prefer to think of it as ingenious.” He kissed the top of her head, steered her towards a nearby park, and sprawled beside her on a bench. They had a view of the city from here, including the pyramid, but the thing was so flipping huge that it was hard to avoid it. She still didn’t say anything, but Lia snuggled into his side and Troll enjoyed the warm weight of her against him as he waited for her to talk.
Lights were illuminating the buildings when she finally spoke. “You’re patient, aren’t you?” Lia didn’t pause for an answer before continuing, “I want to be a writer, OK? Not for company newsletters or employee magazines, I mean stories. Fiction.”
She tensed slightly as if bracing herself for his reaction and it made him wonder if in the past others had scoffed when she’d found the courage to share her dream with them. “Yeah? Cool. I’ll read for you if you want.”
“What?”
The disbelief in her voice stung, but Troll pushed it aside. He couldn’t blame her since she hardly knew him. “I know, you’re thinking a guy like me won’t be much help, but while school wasn’t my thing, I’ve always loved to read.”
“I wasn’t—” Lia sat up and stared at him. “People discount you because you’re so good-looking, don’t they? That’s what you thought I was doing.”
Troll shrugged.
“Idiot.” She scowled. “I’ve been with you all day and you snagged me on the sexual fantasy thing. I’d have to be stupid to miss how sharp you are.”
His lips twitched. She’d just called him an idiot and then turned right around and said she knew he was smart. “ Why’d you question my offer then?”
“Because usually when I mention I want to write novels, I get laughed at, or humoured, or stared at in disbelief, or my favourite response – ‘You weren’t good enough to get a real job in journalism, but you think you can write a whole story?’ Oh, wait, then there are the practical people who tell me nobody reads any more andmaybe I should try writing a movie or video game script, but that isn’t what I want to do. No one has ever offered their help before.”
The hurt lifted and Troll could breathe again. “Well, you got it if you want it. You ever think of writing science fiction? ’Cos I gotta tell you, falling through a wormhole and winding up in the future would make a great story.”
With a smile, Lia settled against him again. “It’ll never sell,” she told him. “And how could I write a book where the heroine returns home again while I’m trapped?”
Troll felt his gut clench, but he kept his muscles loose. They’d been playing, but her comment reminded him that he hadn’t won her yet. He tried to come up with more positives about this time. “Sasha likes you.”
“You can’t know that,” Lia argued.
