Sophia says hello to my parents and introduces them to Slammer. “And this is Brayden Wild,” she says with a glance at me. “Brayden lives at Big River Ranch, but he does some work for Big Sky Grocer. Bet you didn’t know that, did you?”
“No, we didn’t.” Mom shakes Brayden’s outstretched hand and smiles at him. She’s always been a sucker for men; June and I used to joke that if it had a penis, it worked for Mom.
Dad asks Brayden how long he’s been working at the store just as Mindy clears her throat loudly.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I gesture to Mindy. “This is Dr. Mindy Cox, a friend of Phillip’s.”
“Oh, yes.” Mom shakes her hand. “Phillip mentioned you would be joining us here. Welcome to Montana.”
Hementionedher to them? Why?
“Yes, welcome,” Dad says. “And you’re also a scientist, I hear. What field?”
“Ecology, same focus as Phillip,” Mindy says. “Although he’s far more brilliant than I am in the subject. But we’ve already had the most wonderful time talking about the biochemistry of the alpine tundra and the forest ecosystems.”
From my right, Brayden touches my shoulder ever so briefly, and as Mindy keeps trying to impress Dad, Mom glances at me with a pointed look. Her message is clear—she wants to know who this Mindy is and why she’s at his race.
I shrug at her and try to divert her interest by focusing on their trip to New Zealand. “You both look good. Not too jetlagged.”
“No.” Dad runs his hand through his graying hair. “We’re doing all right. We’re a little on the reverse schedule, but that will clear up quickly.”
“Right. Because you were over a half day ahead out there.”
“Do you know hurricanes rotate in the opposite direction there?”
Dad always comes back from every trip with an assortment of fun facts. Sometimes, I say I don’t need to go anywhere because there’d be nothing left to discover.
“Really?” I say. “That’s neat.”
Then Mom shows us all the mini hair wrap she had done in southern New Zealand. “Just one section of my hair, like a tiny braid,” she explains.
“That’s cool, Mom,” I say. “It looks very trendy.”
Brayden asks my parents how they enjoyed New Zealand.
“Oh, it was just gorgeous there. And our boat ride was wonderful.” Just as Mom begins to gush about the boat and the calm seas they experienced, Mindy starts screaming.
“Here they come!” she shouts. “The racers are coming!”
Holy crap.You’d think this was the Tour de France. Even Dad gives me a quizzical look, but I just keep smiling. Mindy is Phillip’s new friend, not mine.
Phillip’s not in the first group of riders, but he comes screeching around the bend right behind them.
“Phillip!” Mindy waves wildly at him. “Over here!”
My father’s “do I need to look out for my daughter” radar is on track as Dad tosses another concerned look in my direction. This time, I pretend not to notice, and I step forward to Phillip. He veers over to us and hops off the seat of his bike, remaining straddled over the middle bar. Sweat is everywhere—on his face, his shirt, I can even see it glistening on his handlebars.
“Lei!” Phillip shouts. “Do you have that second stopwatch? This one broke about ten miles back.”
I rustle through my purse and give him what he’s asking for. Mindy’s eyes narrow, and she looks so jealous I think she’s going to explode.
Sophia appears at my side. “How’s it going, Phillip? You seem worked up.”
“This is only a fifty miler,” he says to her. “I don’t have time to stop. I should be biking right now.”
Mom and Dad say hello to him, and he turns politely to thank them for coming. Then he asks me for the petroleum jelly, which I hand to him wordlessly. He puts a little in his hand and returns the tube to me.
“Keep on spinning those wheels,” Sophia advises him.
