Melt

by Robbi McCoy

  “The same field?” Jordan caught Kelly’s eye, noticing a smile of amusement curling up at the edge of her lips. “Hmm. Perhaps not.”

  “You know what I meant,” Chuck said. “Same discipline. But nearly antithetical applications. Jordan’s a glaciologist.”

  “Clearly,” Jordan said, “we’re working on very different problems.”

  “I suspect Dr. Westgate doesn’t approve of my application of geology.” Waddell took his seat. “But until you all quit being oil consumers, you’ll expect somebody to pump it out of the ground for you. You get awfully damned outraged whenever the supply drops and prices go up.”

  “You’re right,” Jordan said. “We all have to share the blame. But I sometimes wonder, necessity being the mother of invention, what would happen if we simply quit pumping it out of the ground. How long would it take civilization to rebound with some fascinating new solutions to fossil fuels? That’s out of the question, I suppose, but wouldn’t it be interesting?”

  Her gaze landed on Chuck, who seemed highly entertained, looking like somebody had lit a fire under him and he was preparing to rocket into space. She remembered how he loved a good argument.

  “Join us!” he suggested, reaching for a chair from a nearby table.

  “No, thank you. My students are here.” She nodded vaguely toward the other table, regretting that she wasn’t able to join this company.

  Chuck was visibly disappointed. “That’s too bad. I’d love to hear the ice woman and the oil man talk about the future of Greenland.”

  Jordan laughed. “Wouldn’t you, though? I’ll see you soon.” She glanced toward Kelly. “Both of you.”

  She returned to her table and seated herself between Sonja and Brian. From that position she could easily see Chuck’s group. She found herself drawn often to observe Kelly and the childlike Pippa whose gestures and expressions were familiar and affectionate. It was easy to see she adored Kelly. For her part, Kelly was attentive and seemed fond of the girl. Pippa pulled out a digital camera and took a photo of herself and Kelly at arm’s length, then she looked at it on the camera and giggled with delight.

  This pairing was perplexing. But in the nine years since Jordan had known Kelly, she didn’t know anything about what she had been through, emotionally or romantically. Maybe this girl was just what she needed now.

  Whatever the reason, all of this was good news, Jordan told herself. It meant that Kelly had moved on and wouldn’t be mooning over Jordan anymore. That was a relief!

  “Are you all having a good time?” she asked, focusing her attention back to her own table.

  “Awesome!” Brian replied. “Thanks for footing the bill. You’re gonna freak when you see what our meal cost. But it’s not like we had caviar and champagne. I had a hamburger and a local beer, Erik the Red. Let me tell you, this beer rocks! Actually, this is my second bottle.”

  Jordan waved dismissively. “Don’t worry. I’ve been here before. Food is always expensive in Greenland. This place, even more so. And I agree about the beer. It’s one of the not-to-be- missed treats of Greenland.”

  “It’s really generous of you to do this,” Julie said.

  The waiter came by with Jordan’s dessert, a small plate containing a gooey brownie sitting in a pool of silky crème Anglaise topped with shards of pecan brittle.

  “To Jordan!” Sonja interjected, raising her glass. “For saving our asses from the wrath of the Arctic night.”

  In concert with the others, Jordan took a sip of her drink. It slid warmly down her throat. She glanced around the room to take in the space. The restaurant was roomy and modern with high ceilings and a wall of glass facing the bay. Tonight there wasn’t much to see. With the storm, it was dark out and the windows were streaked with running water, reminding her crew how happy they were to be here.

  She tasted the brownie. “Um, this is so good!”

  “It’s too bad Malik couldn’t be here,” Sonja lamented.

  “I feel bad about leaving him out there by himself,” Jordan agreed, causing herself a momentary shudder with the thought of Malik and the oil man sitting under the same roof. Oil drilling in the Arctic was one of his serious hot buttons.

  “I think he’s happier by himself anyway,” Julie suggested.

  Brian huffed. “And we’re certainly more jolly without him here.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Sonja asked resentfully.

  “Just that he’s so intense and serious all the time. If he were here, I’d have to have a debate about the political ramifications of my hamburger, for Christ’s sake.”

  “So he cares about things,” Sonja said. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “Nothing wrong with it, no, but tonight I’d just as soon relax and forget about all that. Yeah, Greenland has problems, but so does every country and you just have to let it go once in a while and have a good time or you’ll go nuts. I wonder if that dude ever has a good time.”

  “He doesn’t smile much,” Julie commented.

  Sonja wrapped both hands around her glass. “He’s concerned about the state of the world, particularly Greenland. He’s just patriotic.”

  “So am I,” Brian said, “but I’m not going to tattoo the American flag on the side of my head like some dweeb. I have nothing against the dude. He’s just kind of a drag, so if you’re having a party, it’s better he’s not there. If you’re having a political rally, he’s your guy.”

  Jordan took another bite of her dessert, glancing Kelly’s way. As if Kelly could sense it, she turned to catch Jordan’s eye. For a second, they seemed locked together before Kelly was distracted by Pippa.

  “Since we’re here to learn about Greenland,” Sonja said, “I think we should listen to what Malik has to say. He’s our authority on everything about this place.”

  “I agree,” Jordan said. “His contribution is valuable. The science we’re doing here is globally important, but we don’t want to lose sight of where we are. His perspective will remind us of the long history and rich culture of the people who live here.”

  Sonja smiled and sat back in her chair, satisfied. She gave Jordan a look that suggested they were somehow in synch on a higher plane of understanding than the other two.

  “Let’s bring him back something nice,” she suggested. “To thank him for this little vacation.”

  “Good idea,” Jordan agreed.

  “Maybe we should bring him a case of Erik the Red,” Brian suggested with a smirk. He drained his bottle, then scratched his beard under his chin and stood. “After three weeks with no TV,” he announced, “I’m looking forward to checking out the sports channel tonight. Thank you for a lovely evening, ladies.”

  “Good night,” Jordan said. “Meet up in the lobby at eight tomorrow.”

  As she sipped her brandy, she listened distractedly to Julie and Sonja discussing the prohibitive cost of higher education, specifically their higher education, and why things that benefit society as a whole, like education and health care, shouldn’t be free to everybody. Soon, Jordan wasn’t hearing them at all. Instead, she withdrew into her own thoughts.

  Kelly was like her younger self in many ways. One who listened carefully and didn’t speak often. When she did speak, it was well considered and intelligent. She hardly spoke at all tonight, overshadowed by the garrulous Chuck and eager Pippa demanding her attention.

  Not that Jordan would ever take the chance of letting Kelly get close to her again, but if Pippa were not in this picture, she reflected, what a perfect night this would be for an erotic adventure. Kelly might still find her attractive, she reasoned. If such things were possible, they might have been able to come together on a night like this for one night of pleasure. Nothing more. Yes, that would be enchanting, she thought, taking another sip of brandy and focusing on Kelly’s sumptuous mouth. The liquor ran like a warm, thick ribbon of velvet down her throat, spreading smoothly in every direction, the warmth moving further down where a delightfully fluid tingle appe
ared.

  Delicious, she thought, watching Kelly closely. What was once an immature fruit was now a succulent delicacy.

  Encouraged by the brandy, she fell into a vivid fantasy of taking Kelly to her room, crushing her tightly against her body and kissing those incredible lips. Not like she had that one time years ago, but with complete abandon. The buttons on that silky blouse would come apart easily, allowing her access to the heaving, anxious bosom beneath. When she touched her lips to that velvety soft skin, both of them would go weak with hunger and melt like an ice cube in an oven.

  “Jordan, what do you think?”

  She started, nearly tipping over her glass. A drop of brandy fell over the rim onto her hand. She carefully put the glass on the table and faced Sonja, who was clearly waiting for her response.

  “Sorry, what?”

  * * *

  “The polar bear,” Chuck said, continuing his story, “was just trying to get the hell out of there. But Sam was convinced he was about to be eaten and both of them tore through the camp doing their own versions of screaming bloody murder. The bear got tangled in one of the tarps, the rope wrapped around his hind leg, so he’s running in circles, this wild blue tarp flapping behind him, catching on everything and knocking our shit all over the place, making the bear crazy berserk.” Chuck leaned back in his chair, raising his hands to emphasize how crazy the bear was. “Sam’s yelling at me, ‘Shoot him! Shoot him, you motherfucker!’ Then Sam trips over one of the tent spikes and takes off like a toboggan. Whoosh! across the ice, face first. The bear, madder than hell, turns on the tarp and starts ripping it to shreds. There was nothing I could do but stay clear of him.” Chuck shook his head and snickered. “It was the funniest damn thing I’ve ever seen. The bear finally got free of the tarp, but in the process he destroyed our camp. Meanwhile, Sam had belly sledded all the way to the bottom of the hill and was walking back up. The bear finally got free and went tearing off as fast as he could, by chance running straight toward Sam.” Chuck howled with laughter, remembering, and had to stop his story until he recovered.

  Kelly took the opportunity to glance toward Jordan’s table and catch her eye. Jordan held her gaze momentarily, her expression passive, before taking a sip from her brandy glass. Kelly couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Jordan was staying right here in the hotel for the night and how easy it would be to show up at her door and ask to come in. Was there any chance Jordan would welcome her? Her mind continued to work on how that might be achieved. Drink up, Jordan, she silently urged.

  Chuck wiped his watering eyes with his napkin and continued. “So of course Sam sees the bear heading straight at him and shrieks. He drops and covers his head and waits for the end. The bear leaps clean over him and takes off across the ice. I just wish I had it on film. It would be priceless.”

  Kelly ate the last of her pasta, noticing Jordan’s group preparing to leave. A minute later, they passed by on their way out.

  “See you soon,” Jordan called to Chuck, her cheeks flushed from the brandy.

  Then she smiled at Kelly, such a sincere, purposeful and affectionate smile that Kelly felt a wave of warmth flow through her, and along with it renewed hope that Jordan’s heart wasn’t completely closed against her.

  Following Jordan, Sonja winked at Kelly and tossed her bangs out of her eyes.

  “That’s really a weird coincidence,” Pippa remarked after they’d gone. “That she was your teacher in college.”

  “Uh-huh,” Kelly muttered.

  “What?” Chuck asked, coming to attention. “You already knew Jordan?”

  “Yeah.” Kelly was suddenly uncomfortable. “I had her for a couple classes.”

  “Why didn’t you say so?” Chuck asked.

  Kelly shrugged. “That was a long time ago. It didn’t seem important.” She picked up her water glass to take a big swallow, hoping the conversation would change course.

  “Did you know she would be here?” Pippa asked.

  Kelly reluctantly put her glass down. “Not until Chuck showed me the schedule. When I knew Jordan, she wasn’t doing this kind of research.”

  “I remember the first year Jordan Westgate showed up here,” Chuck reminisced. “That was about five, six years ago. She was with a team on the interior ice run by old Three-Finger Carter.”

  “Did he lose the other two to frostbite?” Jens asked.

  “Naw. He had all his fingers. That was just how he drank scotch. Three fingers at a time.” Chuck tipped his chair back on its two rear legs. “Holy shit, that man could put it away! And then get up the next morning and put in a full day’s work like nobody’s business. Liquor just didn’t affect him. I saw him drunk, like seriously slurring his words drunk, maybe only twice in all the time I knew him.”

  Chuck proceeded to tell the story of one of those times. When the waiter returned, he ordered another round of drinks.

  “No more for me,” Kelly said, still mulling over the affectionate parting smile Jordan had given her. “I’ve had enough.”

  She shoved her chair back from the table and Pippa followed suit.

  “See you tomorrow,” Chuck called, then launched back into his story.

  As Kelly stood at the cashier station waiting for her change, her eyes lingered on another bill on the counter, Jordan’s. She had signed it to her room, number 147. Kelly committed the number to memory and met Pippa in the lobby.

  “There’s a shuttle about to leave,” Pippa said. “We should take it. It might be the last one.”

  “You go ahead. The rain’s stopped so I’m going to hang around here for a while and walk back.”

  “Why?”

  “To take some photos. There’s a lot more elevation here than in town. I might be able to get some good shots of the bay with the clouds and all. Interesting light going on tonight.”

  “Do you want me to stay? I don’t mind.”

  “No, that’s okay. You’d better catch the shuttle so you don’t have to walk back with that ankle.” Kelly laughed nervously. “I don’t want to have to carry you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  After hugging Kelly goodbye, Pippa limped out the front doors to the waiting bus. Through the rain-splattered front windows, she watched until Pippa got on the bus, assuring herself that she was actually leaving.

  Now to Jordan, she thought, leaving the lobby.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Her heart pounding wildly, Kelly walked down the stairs to the first floor. Her plan was unformed, but seeing Jordan’s room number had seemed like a message from Destiny herself. She and Jordan belonged together and here was her chance to press her case. There was nothing to lose except a little pride. And that was nothing compared to what she could potentially gain. If she offered her heart to Jordan and was turned down, so what? She already knew that wouldn’t destroy her.

  And if she wasn’t turned down? If Jordan welcomed her? Her mind reeled at the thought. She didn’t want to imagine it could really happen for fear of disappointment. She didn’t expect wishes to come true, but hope still welled up in her. Besides, this wasn’t something impossible. Jordan had been fond of her once. Why shouldn’t it grow into love now that all the circumstances were right between them?

  Sometimes she had imagined that parting kiss not as a goodbye but as a promise to hold on to for the future. A promise that Jordan would wait for her, wait until she was ready.

  At the bottom of the stairs, she turned left down a long hallway, then right at the next corner. At the end of the hallway was a glass door leading to the outside. Through the glass, she got a glimpse of the rugged shoreline and a sliver of the bay itself, pinkish in the cloud-filtered light from the low-lying sun. As she had told Pippa, the light was exquisite tonight. But even that wasn’t enough to deter her from her purpose.

  As she read numbers on doors and made her way down the hall, one of the doors further along opened. Feeling like a burglar, she ducked into the alcove of the nearest room, out of view, realizing that if someone came pas
t and saw her hiding like this, it would look a lot more suspicious than if she were simply walking down the hallway. She peeked out to see a woman walking the other direction, toward the far end of the hall. She was long-legged, wearing an oversized sweater that reached to her thighs. As she tossed her blonde head, Kelly realized it was Sonja. She stopped at one of the doors closest to the end of the hall and glanced in Kelly’s direction. Instinctively, Kelly pulled back into the alcove. When she looked out again, she saw Sonja knocking on the door. A couple of seconds elapsed before the door opened and Jordan appeared in a floor-length bathrobe. A few words were spoken quietly between them before Sonja went inside and the door shut behind her.

  Kelly leaned heavily against the wall, stunned and disbelieving. To prove to herself that her eyes had not deceived her, she continued down the hall to the door in question to verify the room number. There it was on a brass plate, 147, unmistakably. She could hear the muffled voices of the two women inside.

  Sonja? her mind screamed at her. It wasn’t possible! Sonja, the woman who had flirted unapologetically with Kelly? How could it be that Jordan would take Sonja, one of her students, as her lover? Students were thoroughly off limits, she had maintained. No exceptions. That had been her firm rule, one of the main reasons she gave for keeping her relationship with Kelly purely platonic.

  Oh, Jordan, how could you?

  Kelly closed her eyes and breathed deeply, feeling weak. Then she moved closer to the door, holding her breath and listening. She heard nothing. Were they kissing?

  I could bang on the door, she decided. I could interrupt. And then what? Obviously, if they were meeting like this tonight, it wasn’t the first time. Interrupting would do nothing but embarrass everyone.

  She pivoted to the side and let the wall support her, feeling betrayed and hurt.

  Why her and not me?

  Kelly had always suspected, but hoped otherwise, that she had been nothing but a thorn in Jordan’s side, that the excuse about no fraternizing with students was a smokescreen. She’d wondered if the real reason she’d been rejected was simply that Jordan wasn’t attracted to her. And here was proof of that. For some reason she couldn’t understand, Sonja had succeeded where Kelly had failed. She closed her eyes and swallowed down the pain rising in her throat.