Hidden Talents

didn't specifically ask her if she'd been there that night,” Serenity reminded him.
    “You'd think she'd have mentioned it.”
    “I don't see why. We only chatted with Jessie for a couple of minutes. She had her mind on a lot of other things.”
    “Like the fact that she had just inherited a house and a small fortune in photography equipment,” Caleb said dryly.
    “What in the world are you getting at? I don't see—”
    The phone rang, cutting Serenity off. She put down the pen she had been fiddling with and reached for the receiver.
    “Hello?”
    “Hey, hey, hey, Serenity love. Long time no see. How's my favorite granola pusher?”
    “ Lloyd . I wasn't expecting to hear from you.” That was putting it mildly. After the way she had lost her temper the last time she'd seen him six months ago, she hadn't expected to hear from him ever again. Serenity rarely lost her temper, but the rare occasions when she did generally proved memorable. Montrose, full-time musician and part-time operator of Witt's End's only service station, had once told her it was because of her red hair. “Where are you?”
    “Working late in my office here at good old Bullington College. You remember Bullington, don't you, Serenity love? You haven't been gone so long that you've actually forgotten those of us down here at the bottom of the mountain, have you?” Lloyd paused deliberately. “I sure haven't forgotten you.”
    Serenity's fingers tightened around the phone. Her eyes met Caleb's questioning gaze. “No, I haven't forgotten Bullington.”
    “Glad to hear it,” Lloyd said, relentlessly cheerful, as usual. “I've been making a lot of changes since I became assistant department head. I've even talked the Fordham people into giving me a little honest-to-God grant money. Can you believe it?”
    Incredible, Serenity thought. Lloyd was carrying on a perfectly normal conversation. Just as though they were old friends. Just as if he hadn't tried to use her as a research project. Just as if he hadn't once given her reason to think he might give her the real family she dreamed of having someday. “I'm glad for you, Lloyd. Look, I'm very busy at the moment. Was there something you wanted?”
    “Thought I'd drive up to Witt's End and pay you a visit soon. It's been what? Six months?”
    “Yes. Six months.”
    “I'm kind of curious to see how things are going for you.”
    “I'll just bet you are. Anxious to do a follow-up on your research project? Sorry, but I don't have time to fill out a detailed questionnaire at the moment,” Serenity said.
    “Funny you should mention my little questionnaires.” Lloyd chuckled engagingly. “I was just going to bring up the subject.”
    “Oh, no. No. Absolutely not.” Serenity flopped back against the sofa cushions in sheer disgust. She was aware that she had Caleb's undivided attention now. He was no longer doing two things at the same time. He was concentrating entirely on her. “We've already been through this. Forget it, Lloyd, I'm not going to play research subject for you again.”
    “Whoa, there. Hold your horses, Serenity love. Who's talking about using you as a research subject?”
    “You are.”
    “Not true.” Lloyd lowered his voice to a warm, persuasive murmur. “Hey, is it so hard to believe that I'd just like to see you again?”
    “Yes, frankly, it is. You made it very clear the last time I saw you that you only wanted one kind of relationship with me, the same kind a lab rat has with a scientist.”
    “Hey, hey, hey, love. Unfair, unfair.” Lloyd sounded grievously hurt. “You and I had a modern sort of relationship. We transcended the man-woman thing. We were friends.”
    “Friends? You don't know the first thing about friendship, Lloyd. Friends don't use each other.” Serenity gently hung up the phone.
    The silence in the room was palpable. Caleb eyed the phone with a thoughtful expression. “Friend of yours?”
    “Not any longer.”
    The phone rang shrilly. With a groan, Serenity reached for it. “This time tell me what you really want, Lloyd, or I'll unplug this thing.”
    “Listen, this is no bullshit, Serenity. I want to do a full-scale study of Witt's End.” Lloyd's voice was crisp and urgent now. All traces of ingratiating charm were gone. “This is very, very important.”
    Serenity scowled. “A study of Witt's End? Are you crazy? Forget it.”
    “I'm serious, Serenity. This is mega crucial to my career objectives. I want to come up there and