Page 91 of Colton’s Inferno

Like a thousand butterflies had been let loose in her middle, a fluttering filled her belly. What if she wasn’t smart enough for college? What if nobody liked her? What if she didn’t like anyone, either? After all, she was a twenty-six-year-old college freshman. She wouldn’t have a thing in common with any of her classmates.

“What are you going to do with your day?” she asked, knowing full well that she was just buying herself another minute before walking out the door.

“Today is my first day back at work,” he said. “I’ll be leaving soon.”

She placed her lips on his. “Have a good day.”

“You, too.”

Then, there was nothing else for Lucy to do—other than catch the bus. She drew in a deep breath, filling her lungs. With an exhale, she walked down the stairs to the ground level. Pushing open the door, she stepped onto the sidewalk. Cold air crept along her bare arms and left goosebumps in its wake. She paused at the curb and checked the street for traffic. There was none. She jogged to the other sidewalk and walked the short distance to the bus stop.

Several students were already waiting. They looked up at Lucy but said nothing.

The fluttering in her middle turned frantic. She could turn around now. Go back to Aiden’s and give herself some time to figure out her life.

No. Lucy was going to stay. She knew what she wanted, and this was it. She sipped her coffee. Caffeine surged through her veins and the jolt gave her courage.

Another student, dressed in a sweatshirt and shorts, came out of an apartment building. She tugged at the straps of her backpack as she walked to the bus stop. Lucy recognized her from all the mornings she’d watched people catch the university transit. The thing she hadn’t noticed from her window was that this woman was older than the rest.

Lucy smiled as she approached.

“Hey,” said the woman.

“Hey.”

“I haven’t seen you on this bus before.”

“First day of classes for me,” said Lucy.

“Good luck,” said the woman. “What’s your major?”

“Psychology,” said Lucy. “You?”

“I’m majoring in social work,” said the woman. “We’ll probably have a lot of classes together, at least for the first couple of years.”

“Is this your first year, too?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah,” said the woman. “I just got out of the army. After eight years of active duty, I was able to get the GI Bill.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lucy. Lucy Harris.” She held out her palm.

“Cassie Cox,” said the other woman, shaking her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

The bus pulled up next to the corner and the doors opened. Lucy and Cassie got into the line that formed. Cassie continued, “I’ll be honest. Most of the students at Red Grove are straight out of high school. They’re all nice, but it’s good to meet somebody who’s done more than just graduate from high school.”

“Trust me,” Lucy said, “I’ve had plenty of life experiences.”

“Well,” said Cassie. “It’s nice to have a friend.”

Lucy stepped onto the bus and moved down the aisle. She slid into a seat. Cassie took the opposite seat. In that moment, she knew she’d made the right choice for her life. As the bus drove away from the stop, she said, “You’re right. It is nice to have a friend.”

Ted used his in-car phone feature and placed a call as he drove. “Hey,” he said, as soon as the call was answered. “Can you meet me at the ranch? There are a few things I want to go over with you.”

“Sure,” said the person on the other line. “Give me a few minutes to get to you.”

“No problem.” His office knew he wouldn’t be in until the afternoon. It gave him plenty of time to get things done. “I’ll see you there.”

He ended the call and looked out the window. It had been an unseasonably cold night. A mist clung to the ground, but the sun hung in the sky. On the hillside, trees were changing from summer’s green to fall’s yellow and orange. With an exhale, he let his shoulders drop. All his worries about the ranch had been for nothing. He should have known that it would all work out in the end.