“There’s nothing wrong with maintenance work,” he said defensively. “It’s an honest living.”
“And you do it very well,” she responded mildly. “I didn’t say there was anything wrong with your job—if it makes you feel fulfilled and content.”
His silence made her suspect that he couldn’t say either of those things. She remembered how happy his friend Bob seemed to be in his delivery job. Bob was doing exactly what he wanted to do, enjoying both his work and his life away from the job. Mike didn’t seem to have that same satisfaction, which bothered her a great deal, because she wanted him to be happy.
He seemed to become aware of the lengthening silence between them. “I can’t stay in this job indefinitely, of course. It doesn’t pay much more than rent and necessities. It seemed like a good idea at the time, since it gave me time to take classes, but I need to find something with more chance for advancement. Something that doesn’t require a master’s degree,” he added in a low voice.
She cocked her head, hearing more, perhaps, than he had intended to reveal in his words. “Was there something you were considering that does require a master’s degree?”
“I thought maybe— But it doesn’t matter. I’ve pretty much changed my mind.”
It wasn’t her business, she reminded herself. She shouldn’t press him to talk. But, darn it, it wasn’t as if they were just casual acquaintances. Surely they had progressed to a point where they could express genuine concern about each other. “What were you considering?”
He hesitated so long that she had begun to wonder if he was going to ignore her. Finally he said, “I thought about going into coaching and teaching at a middle school level. I mean, I like sports and kids, and my mom was a teacher for years, so I know what the job entails. But you really have to have a master’s degree to get a good job in education.”
“You would be a great teacher and coach,” she said, struck by the image.
“Like I said, I’ve pretty much changed my mind.”
“You’re sure you want to do that? If it’s just the time involved, you’re only twenty-eight. You’d still be quite young by the time you finished your training. You’d have years to work before retirement. Do you want to reach that age and regret that you didn’t pursue your dreams?”
“I never said it was my dream. It was just a passing thought. But really, Catherine, me as a teacher? Heck, I barely made it through high school, and pretty much flunked out of college the first time. It’s kind of a joke, when you think about it.”
“I’m not laughing,” she said.
He fell silent.
There were so many more things she wanted to say. So many arguments she could make about why he should persevere. But maybe she had reached the limit of how much she could meddle.
The flames in the fire bowl were dying down, and neither of them moved to put in more wood. The formerly comfortable, lazy air of companionship had been altered, leaving a subtle edge of tension between them. She regretted the change, and wondered if it was her fault.
“It’s getting kind of cold out here,” Mike said finally. “Ready to go in for hot chocolate?”
It was apparent that he didn’t want to talk about his plans anymore just then. Catherine nodded obligingly, pushing herself out of her chair. They went inside together. Mike locked the door while she moved into the kitchen to heat water for the packets of instant cocoa they had brought with them.
She had just stirred the mix into two mugs of steaming water when Mike slipped his arms around her from behind. “Will you still go out with me even if I don’t have a college degree?” he asked in her ear.
“You didn’t have a college degree when I started seeing you,” she replied matter-of-factly.
He chuckled. “You always have a candid answer for everything, don’t you?”
“I try. Too bad we forgot marshmallows. We could have had some on our hot chocolate.”
His voice was suddenly gruff as he turned her in his arms and lowered his head. “I don’t want marshmallows. I want you.”
“Then there’s no problem, is there?” she responded, lifting her arms around his neck. “I’m right here.”
Two mugs of cocoa grew cold on the counter, completely forgotten.
Chapter Fifteen
Catherine had mixed emotions when Mike turned into the parking lot of their apartment complex early Sunday evening. She was glad to be home, of course, and looking forward to seeing Norman again. And yet her weekend with Mike had been so nice, for the most part, that she almost regretted returning to their real lives and the problems that faced them.
And there were still problems. They could not keep avoiding their friends and his family. His indecision about what to do with his future was a bit of a sore point between them, one she felt compelled to discuss more intensely and which he had studiously avoided ever since their conversation by the fire last night.
“I’m sure Norman’s going to be glad to see you,” Mike said, turning off his truck engine.
“Are you kidding? He’ll give me the cold shoulder. I’ll have to grovel and apologize repeatedly, then give him double his usual salmon treats before he’ll even acknowledge my presence. And then, after he has decided I’m properly chastened for daring to leave him overnight, even though I left him plenty of food and water and fresh litter and kitty toys, he’ll deign to let me give him a tummy rub.”