Mind's Echo

Eva

Eva opened her mouth to shoot off a tart reply but quickly closed it. Wait, she thought, did he just say he'd ask me out? She felt herself blushing from her jawline to her hairline. She was sure her whole face was a rosy reflection of her inner unease. Suddenly, she couldn't look him in the eye anymore. She looked around the room, fiddling with her long hair nervously.

"Well, um, I mean ... I can ... um ... follow orders, sure. I won't get in your way. And ... um ... that picture, I just meant ... the eyes ... I don't know ..."

She finally managed to glance at Quincy. He was watching her intently, his brows furrowed. Gah! I'm such an idiot! Nobody in their right mind would want this blubbering mess tagging along. She squared her shoulders and stopped playing with her hair.

"Yeah, you know, maybe we shouldn't all go together," she suggested, hoping that she was understanding Quincy's desire to go alone with her. She continued, "It might be best to split up, that way if something bad does happen, it doesn't happen to all of us. Besides, a group this big traipsing around might be a problem. When we do investigations, we usually just pair up."

Quincy's brow finally smoothed out. "That sounds like a good plan. You and I can go where I need to go. If Alex over there wants to snap pics, he can take ghost hunter Mark with him. They'd make a good team. Shelly, well, you seem a little uneasy about exploring, so maybe you could man homebase. I have walkie-talkies in my car. We could all stay connected that way. Let's see if they work."

He turned and headed back outside. He returned quickly carrying a large plastic case. Eva watched as he deftly opened the lid and dispatched the walkie-talkies to the group. He's got nice hands ... She shook her head. Don't go there. You're engaged. She scowled. Yeah, to a jerk who would drive off and leave me in a downpour, ten miles from town. Maybe it's time to reconsider that whole engagement thing ...

"Are we all in agreement, then?" Quincy inquired, pulling her attention back to the room.

"I'm in if everyone else is," she replied, looking about the room.