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got to her feet, but the first step she took on the wounded foot almost made her fall.  Jordan quickly steadied her. 
    “You okay?”  He nodded to her foot.
    “Yeah, it just hurts like hell.”
    He pulled off the backpack.  “I figured.  Here, put this on.”  He held out the pack.”
    “What?”  She reluctantly took the pack.
    “Trust me.”
    Shrugging, she slipped it on, and he turned and bent for her to climb on his back.  Blushing, she stepped away.  “I don’t need a piggyback ride.”
    “Okay, have it your way.”  Without warning, he hefted her over his shoulder.  “Of course, it’s probably going to be much harder to find things this way since the list is in my back pocket.”
    “Put me down!” Nicole said between giggles.
    “Nope.  You’ve achieved your disaster quota today.  Could you kindly get the list and tell me what I’m looking for?”
    Figuring there was no point in arguing, Nicole saw the edge of the list protruding from his pocket and eased it out before unfolding it.  “You know reading from this angle isn’t easy.”
    “But think of all the cactus and poison ivy you’ll miss.”
     
    It took another hour to gather the last few scavenger items, and Jordan didn’t complain about carrying her.  She eventually did switch to riding on his back, figuring that if he were going to carry her one way or another, it might as well be the way that made her less dizzy.  He spent most of the time telling her jokes or stories, distracting her from thinking about a humiliating day, and when they returned, she found herself sad, knowing the day was drawing to a close and that each of them would be returning to worlds that had nothing to do with the other.
    After completing their final assignment, a quiz about what they had learned, Nicole found her foot able to withstand the weight of her body, and Jordan walked her to her car, where she reached into her glove box and pulled out a scrap sheet of paper which she jotted her name, phone number, and email address. 
    “I’d like to keep in touch, if that’s all right.  One can never have too many friends, if you know what I mean.”
    He laughed.  “You just like me because I’m good with cactus spines.”  He looked at the information and tore away the lower half of the paper so he could jot his information, which he gave to her.  “And you’re right about friends.” 
    He offered her one last smile, and she drove away, watching him standing there, staring at her car until she couldn’t see him anymore.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Three
    “So, tell me all about your weekend class,” Sarah said, eating her spinach salad as they sat in their apartment living room.  Sunlight spilled through the Bohemian-style curtains, making the dark burgundy of the sofa and walls appear lighter than they really were.  A soft, cool breeze wafted through the open window as Nicole stared at her own salad, suddenly not hungry.
    “There’s not much to tell.  I went canoeing and hiking.  That’s about it.”  She averted her gaze, not wanting her best friend to see the mixed feeling buried there.
    Mmmhmm,” Sarah said, brushing the long auburn strands from her brown eyes.  “Nothing happened.  That’s exactly why you came back with a nasty limp.”
    “You know I’m clumsy,” Nicole said.
    “So what happened?”
    Nicole rolled her eyes and leaned back against the couch.  “Well, okay.  I stepped on a cactus and Jordan had to pull these huge spines out.  They were so sharp they went into my shoes, if you can believe that.”  She took a bite of her salad, something to take off the nervous energy she felt.  She hadn’t talked to anyone about Jordan because she was still trying to sort out her feelings.
    “Who’s Jordan?”  Sarah set down her fork and crossed her arms over her chest.
    A flush heated Nicole’s cheeks, and she shrugged.  “Just this guy I met.  We sort of partnered up for the canoeing and