Kiss and Don't Tell(29)

She glances at me and I grin while bringing a potato to my mouth.

With a flip of her napkin, she lays it across her lap and says, “Actually, it’s not a very important equation, but important enough to help the Mars Lander make a better attempt at a 360 turn. More precise so when we detect other living forms, we can grab a snapshot of it within an instant.”

“Holy shit,” Posey says. “So, you’re like a rocket scientist.”

I pick up my beer and hide my smirk behind it.

“Technically just a project manager for NASA, but if you want to call me a rocket scientist, sure, I’ll take it.”

“Wait.” Hornsby sets down his beer and asks, “So you know about Mars?”

“Sure do.” Winnie cuts into her steak, totally playing along. I fucking love it. “Wow, this feels like cutting through butter.”

“Do you think we’ll ever land a person on Mars?” Posey asks.

“The question isn’t if, but when,” Winnie answers, and fuck, I’m enjoying this far too much. I have no idea what this woman does, but what I do know is that she’s good at telling a story. “You see”—she points her fork at Hornsby—“we have the capability to be on Mars now, it’s just all about the politics.”

“What do you mean?” Posey asks. All the boys lean in, completely fascinated, even Holmes.

“Well, we’re not going to go to Mars just for the hell of it, but if, let’s say . . . Russia announces they’re going to put a human on Mars, then we’d be there in six months because we have the capabilities to do so.”

“Seriously? Holy shit,” Hornsby says while popping a piece of steak in his mouth. “So basically, it’s all about the politics now.”

“Yup. Until then, I’m just going to work on my equation and be happy with that.”

“So, you just work on the same thing over and over again?” Posey asks.

“I mean, isn’t that what you do?” she asks. “You work on the same thing over and over again, perfecting what you do. How is that any different than what I do?”

“She has a point,” I say.

“What happens when you solve the equation?” Posey asks.

“Then I work on another one. But let’s be honest, the Mars Lander already has a pretty good spin radius. I’m just chilling until I feel pressure from the top. If you catch my drift.” She winks and then takes a bite of steak.

Hornsby laughs. “I like your work ethic.”

“I mean, I don’t slack, I get stuff done. You know the whole ‘potatoes on Mars’ thing?” She points to her chest. “My idea. I tested some of the soil that we brought back to earth and saw that it has the perfect pH balance to grow potatoes. So, we tried it.”

“No shit,” Hornsby says, completely fascinated.

Oh hell, this is too fucking good.

“Who knew a rocket scientist was going to stumble into the cabin? Have you ever considered going to space?” Hornsby asks.

“I actually went to Texas for some training. I couldn’t get past the zero-G training. Let’s just say my stomach wasn’t made of steel.”

“Ooh, did you puke in those astronaut suits?”

She nods. “All over the face shield. Wasn’t pretty.”

“Is it true they pee in their astronaut suits?” Posey asks.

“Absolutely,” Winnie says, and I really wonder how much knowledge she has on this topic. I’m not sure I could make up this much. “I’ve peed a few times in them just for the hell of it. It’s weird, voluntarily peeing in your pants. But you get over it once you feel the sweet release for your bladder.”

Holmes sits back in his chair and asks, “What’s the name of the Mars Lander that’s working on Mars right now? I read an article that there are sixteen on Mars, but only one working.”

Uh-oh. Looks as though she might be caught in her lie. Holmes is too damn smart.

“Falcon,” Winnie says without tripping up. She picks up a potato and places it in her mouth.

Huh, maybe she does work within the space field, because that was a bullet answer. She seems to know— “Funny, I thought it was Perseverance.”

Winnie stops chewing as all the guys turn toward her. She smiles wide and I laugh out loud.

“Damn, girl, I’m impressed. I didn’t think you were going to be able to take it that far. You know a lot about space,” I say.

“What do you mean?” Hornsby asks. “Are you not a rocket scientist?”

Winnie swallows and starts laughing while shaking her head. “No, sorry. I heard Neil deGrasse Tyson on a podcast and found it fascinating. I have no idea what’s going on in space or with Mars. And an equation for a radial turn—not even sure that’s a thing, but thank you for thinking I’m smart.”

“Man,” Posey says, tossing his napkin. “I’ve never felt so duped. I really thought you knew what you were talking about. I had far too much excitement about picking your brain.”

“I feel so let down right now,” Hornsby says, and then he chuckles. “We need to watch out with this girl. She thinks she’s the one who needs to be careful of being abducted. Did you see that on-the-spot lying? That’s some crazy shit.” He points his fork at Winnie. “She’s going to murder us in our sleep. I mean, she answered ‘Falcon’ without even blinking. Falcon seemed like a legit name for a Mars Lander. I actually like Falcon better than Perseverance.”