Chapter Text
And so, by using PCR and RFLP DNA methodology the probability of paternity can be established greater than 99.9 percent. It's virtually fail proof."
Realizing that Waverly had paused expectantly after an almost fifteen-minute mini lecture, Nicole nodded somberly hoping she looked as if she'd been paying attention to her words. "Fascinating."
Waverly set her coffee cup on the restaurant table and wrinkled her nose, her pretty oval face softening with the expression. "I gave you too much information, didn't I? I'm afraid I have a tendency to answer simple questions in far greater detail than necessary. My sister claims to be afraid to even ask passing questions about my work."
Nicole shook her head. "Actually, I've found your discussions of DNA testing both valuable and very interesting. You have a real knack for making a complex subject relatively easy to understand. I bet you're popular with your students."
"Not all of them. There are those who consider me a real terror."
"Probably the ones who want a passing grade for very little effort."
Waverly laughed softly. "Exactly. How did you ever guess?"
Nicole lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. "You don't strike me as the type to let anyone slide by without demonstrating knowledge of the material."
"Cursed Earp," Waverly sighed in rueful resignation. "I've heard it muttered in the hallways with a few variations."
"I doubt you let a few whiners bother you that much. You probably concentrate more on the students who really want to learn."
Waverly's rare, full smile brightened her beautiful hazel eyes and reminded Nicole that Professor Waverly Earp was as attractive as she was brilliant-a fact she'd noticed with increasing regularity during the ten months or so they'd known each other. They'd met in the parking lot of the apartment complex in which they were neighbors. Waverly had spilled a box of student essays and Nicole had helped her gather them before a threatening rainstorm could ruin them. Upon learning that Waverly was a microbiologist who taught university classes that included discussions of forensic DNA Nicole an ambitious young attorney in a prestigious law firm had asked if she would answer some of her questions about DNA, she had of course graciously agreed.
Since that meeting they had gotten together three or four times for impromptu DNA lessons whenever Nicole called her with questions. She always insisted on treating Waverly to dinner during their talks since she refused any other form of compensation for her time and expertise. Their relationship was friendly, comfortable and rather impersonal. Their conversations tended to be more scientific than social. The few times Nicole had wandered into personal territory Waverly had quickly guided her back to business.
Usually quite confident around women Nicole sometimes found herself feeling a bit awkward with Waverly. Having spent a lot of time with competent intelligent women she wasn't intimidated by her exactly but she sometimes found herself wondering what was going through her mind. She was very good at hiding her feelings behind a pleasantly serene and at times surprisingly expressive facial expression.
She really knew very little about her, Nicole mused studying her from across the table as a server set their desserts in front of them. She'd always considered herself pretty good at drawing people out, but Waverly was a definite challenge. She liked her, but she simply didn't know what made her tick. Yet.
Waverly picked up her fork and glanced at her, catching her eye. "Is something wrong Nicole? You've been a bit distracted this evening."
Smiling apologetically, Nicole shook her head. "Sorry I'm afraid it's been a long day. You mentioned that you have a sister?"
"Yes. The one and only Wynonna Earp."
"Is she older or younger than you?"
"Four years older." Waverly wrinkled her nose again in a manner that Nicole found appealing. "And she never lets me forget it. She's been bossing me around my whole life."
Nicole grinned. "Then you should be able to understand why a half hour telephone conversation with my sister was all I needed to top off an already stressful day. She's decided my life needs changing and she's the only one qualified to arrange it."
"Oh that does sound familiar," Waverly agreed with a soft groan. "Wynonna's gotten so pushy lately that I've been ducking her calls-which I hate doing because I'm really extremely fond of her."
"Same here I'm crazy about Dani but..."
Waverly softly laughed, "how much older is she?"
"Four minutes," Nicole answered glumly.
Waverly's eyebrows rose. "Twins?"
She nodded.
"Interesting I wouldn't have thought a twin would consider herself an older sibling even with a four minute birth advantage."
"Advantage is the right word. Although with Dani's personality it probably wouldn't have mattered if I'd been the first born. She'd still want to tell me what to do."
Waverly swallowed a bite of cheesecake and reached for her coffee cup. "Somehow I don't see you as the type to let your sister give you orders."
"I don't," she concurred. "But sometimes I get kinda tired of the battle."
Again Waverly's sigh sounded empathetic. "It does get tiresome doesn't it?"
Dipping into her vanilla dessert, she nodded pleased to find someone who understood what she'd been going through lately. "What sort of things does your sister nag you about?"
"Wynonna and I are very different. She's artistic, outspoken and creative and flamboyant. Very social. She would like for me to be more like her I think."
Nicole found it hard to imagine Waverly with a flamboyant sister. It made her wonder what the rest of her family, if she had any-something else they had never discussed in their business only conversations. Maybe talking about her own sister would draw draw out more about her life.
"Dani is a dynamo," she began. "She sets her sights on something and doesn't give up until she accomplished whatever she wants to do. It's made her very successful in her advertising career but sometimes she doesn't know when to stop. My friend Jeremy calls her harmlessly terrifying."
"Harmlessly terrifying." Waverly repeated the phrase thoughtfully. "That describes my sister perfectly."
"Dani's getting married in October and she's deliriously happy about it. She's marrying a doctor she met Michael Evans, a nice guy who seems crazy about her in return. Now she has decided that I should be as happy as she is."
"She's trying to fix you up with someone?" Waverly put down her fork and lifted her hands to her temples. "That's exactly what Wynonna's been up to lately! Every time I hear from her she has someone new she wants me to meet."
"So does Dani. I think she's paraded every unattached woman she's ever met in front of me during the past few months. And she can't stand the women I've dated. I can't seem to convince her that I'm not ready to get seriously involved with anyone right now. I'm working toward a partnership in the law firm and that means long hours at the office. It doesn't leave me time to do justice to a relationship. I've tried to tell her I have plenty of time to start a family once I've got my career on track but she thinks just because she's ready to settle down I should be too. She's really carrying the twin thing a bit too far."
"My sister's doing the same thing to me. Wynonna set up house a few months ago with a really great girl she says is her 'soulmate' now she's looking for mine. I'm half afraid to even meet her for lunch lately. Two of her invitations have turned out to be ambush blind dates, and the people she's chosen for me have been-well not what I would've chosen."
"You too?" Nicole rubbed a hand against the back of her neck. "Dani asked me to fix her clogged sink a couple of weeks ago. She just happened to have a friend over when I showed up. I barely made it out still single. I'm surprised they didn't have a minister there to dispense with the formality of courtship."
Waverly laughed. She had a very pretty laugh, Nicole notes absently. She didn't use it often enough.
"I think it's all this Valentine's Day foolishness," Waverly murmured, glancing expressively around the restaurant at all the hearts-lace-and Cupid decorations. "I'm hoping Wynonna will ease up when this sappy greeting card even is behind us."
Struck by the comment, Nicole agreed. "That's probably what's making Dani so determined right now. Everywhere you look all you see is hearts and flowers and stuff and it's been that way for weeks. It's no wonder she thinks everyone else should be as obsessed with romance as she is."
Waverly nodded in agreement making her short dark hair sway around her chin. She sipped her coffee apparently deciding she'd made her point about the contagious pervasiveness of the Valentine's Day fever.
Since the personal conversation had been going so well to that point fueled by their mutual frustrations with their sisters' matchmaking efforts Nicole risked carrying it further. Now was her chance to get to know more about Waverly-just to satisfy her natural curiosity about her, of course she assured herself. "So you aren't interested in hooking up with any guys at the moment?"
"If by hooking up you mean getting seriously involved with someone the answer is no, not now. I'm working toward my doctorate degree which I should receive in May. I'm looking for a full professorship for the fall and I have resumes at universities in several other states. There are several research projects I want to complete during the next few years to keep my career on target. The last couple of men and women I have dated grew very impatient with my focus on work, and I'm just not interested in changing anything for now."
"Sounds a lot like my career agenda. We really do have a lot in common don't we?" She asked reaching out to pat her hand companionably with hers.
Looking suddenly flustered, Waverly pulled her hand away and picked up her fork again. "Matchmaking sisters and workaholic tendencies? It's not exactly a lot."
That probably was all they had in common, Nicole finally conceded. But even those similarities made it easier to consider her a friend if only on a casual basis.
Apparently deciding they'd shared enough personal information Waverly turned the conversation back to their usual subject. "Did you have any more questions about the polymerase chain reaction technique?"
"Oh, I'm sure I'll think of several more questions eventually. I just can't come up with any at the moment."
"Feel free to ask any time. And I'll get you a copy of that laboratory contamination article I told you about."
"I'd appreciate it." They had met at the restaurant after work, so Nicole walked Waverly to her car when they finished. "Thanks again Waverly. You answered a lot of questions for me tonight. And thank you for listening to me whine about my sister as well."
Smiling, she quipped, "for a meal I don't have to cook myself I'll gladly talk about DNA and matchmaking sisters anytime."
Nicole chuckled and opened her car door for her. "Drive carefully on your way home. I'll be stopping by my office so I won't be following you."
Clucking her tongue in exaggerated disapproval Waverly shook her finger at him. "You work too hard. You should listen to your sister and let her introduce you to a nice girl."
Nicole laughed and tapped her chin lightly with her knuckles. "With friends like you..."
Looking rather pleased with herself, Waverly climbed into her car. Nicole was smiling when she watched her drive away. Interesting woman she thought.
She was glad they had become friends.