Snowbound - Harlequin.com

238 SNOWBOUND
The boy’s was even longer, telling him about a later
Knowledge Champ competition down in Eugene and
how both Willamette Prep teams had rocked, and how
he had a girlfriend now.
Willow. Remember her? She might try out for Hi-Q
with me next year.
Hi-Q, John knew, was an even more demanding form
of academic competition.
Dieter was more straightforward when it came to the
news about his beloved Ms. Mac.
I thought you two liked each other, he typed indignantly.
And she went up to see you at Christmas and all. So
what happened? I asked her and she won’t say.
Your friend Dieter
John stared at the screen, unaware for the moment
of the librarian reading to a bunch of preschoolers while
their mothers browsed shelves, or of the fact that his
allotted half hour on the computer was nearly up.
Yeah, Fallon. What did happen?
Multiple choice answer. A, she found him unworthy
because he wouldn’t tell her in grisly detail about his
service in Iraq and how he came to be injured. Or, B,
she thought part of love was reaching out to each other,
but he’d kept his hands at his sides.
A or B. How to reach out. Now, on a rush of fear and
sickening hurt, he was hearing the words: Too late.