cold. Refrigerators run on electricity, and a coolant circulates through coils in back to extract heat from the air inside. They also have freezer compartments where you can keep meat and vegetables. Some of them even have icemakers built in.”
“I’ve no notion of what a coolant might be.”
“They’re also chemical compounds, only their function is to draw heat out of their surroundings. Refrigerators use a coolant called tetrafluoroethene, which doesn’t cause holes in the ozone layer like its predecessors, chlorofluorocarbons.”
Gad, his head was beginning to spin. “What’s an ozone layer?”
Oliver huffed out a laugh. “It’s complicated. Come to think of it, everything in my era is complicated.”
“You seem quite knowledgeable on the subject.” There was more to Oliver than met the eye, and he couldn’t help being a little impressed.
“Yeah, well, I’m studying to be an environmental scientist, so I’ve learned a lot about chemistry, biology, ecology and the like.” He glanced Daniel’s way again. “Do you remember the gift shop in Garretsville? That shop has a refrigerator where cold drinks and snacks are stored.”
“I don’t remember anything about the gift shop.” He frowned. He had a vague memory of watching Meredith as she wrote down the names and birth dates of his family. Somehow he knew that had taken place in the gift shop Oliver referred to, but he couldn’t recall a single detail about the interior.
“Oh well.” Oliver shrugged. “Things are much simpler in your time than they are in ours.”
By ours, Oliver meant his and Meredith’s century, and that brought to mind the argument he’d had with Charles about who belonged where. The obstacles he faced to secure a future with Meredith loomed larger every day. “Different, perhaps, but not necessarily simpler.” At least, not to his way of thinking.
“So, what are you going to do when the ambush is behind you?” Oliver asked, sliding an assessing look his way. “Will you return to our century with Meredith, or will you remain here in yours?”
“You are blunt, and that’s a fact.” Heat surged to Daniel’s face, and his heart pounded. “So I’ll be equally blunt. It’s none of your damned business.”
“I know it’s not, but you’re like two star-crossed lovers, and I can’t help finding the drama riveting.” He shrugged. “I’m one of those people who always reads the end of a book first. Then I go to the beginning to find out how the characters arrived at that ending. That’s why I want to know now.”
Daniel’s jaw clenched. “Hmph.” That Oliver saw them as entertainment rankled.
“I have a suggestion,” Oliver continued as if completely unaware of Daniel’s reaction to his rudeness. “The two of you should sit down together and make separate lists of pros and cons for staying in this time or returning to the twenty-first century. Like, how would you benefit in either scenario; what would you each lose by choosing to leave your time for the other’s? Then, combine them. Cross out the cons you have in common because they’re a given and should cancel each other out. It’ll be easier to decide when you can visualize which choice has the most pros for you both.
“I’ll consider your suggestion. In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if we could change the subject.” Again the lad surprised him. His suggestion made sense, and it would be helpful for him and Meredith to create a visual while discussing the issue. Already Daniel’s list of pros for staying in this time was taking shape in his mind.
“When you and Meredith arrived, you mentioned that, though you’d never laid eyes upon me, you felt my presence. What did you mean?” Daniel asked.
Oliver launched into a description of the chill accompanying the dead, hair-raising encounters, and his near possession. Daniel encouraged the lad to continue, only half listening. At least he and Meredith were no longer the topic of the day. An occasional “oh” or “ah” kept Oliver going, and he was free to think about how best to convince Meredith they’d both be better off in his time.
Meredith snuggled closer to Daniel’s side, luxuriating in the heat he radiated. It couldn’t be much past 8:00 PM, and she’d just been thoroughly adored through the Cavanaugh method of premarital lovemaking. That thought brought a smile to her face.
Daniel turned to his side, and drew her against his naked chest. “This is nice, isn’t it love? We’ve the cabin to ourselves all night and most of tomorrow.”
“Most of tomorrow?”
“Aye, it’s an eight-hour journey from Hellgate to Garretsville. Even if Charles