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Those thoughts cemented a healthier mindset. Maye Farsey would complete the internship under my direction, and when the summer was over, our relationship would be nothing more than it currently was. I was a forty-year-old man, for Christ’s sake. My hormones didn’t dictate my actions when I was a younger man. They certainly wouldn’t now either.
Just to remain on the safe side, I decided to respond to her via email. If I had to listen to that husky alto voice over the phone, I’d be trapped in my office again until my dick settled down.
Dear Ms. Farsey,
The internship program dictates you work alongside your mentor for at least fifteen hours each week. I’ve attached a copy of the university’s requirements you should have received when applying. Please make yourself familiar with the expectations so we don’t have to waste the valuable time we have together.
The first week we will meet in my business office on campus, but the location will potentially change as research becomes necessary. Please secure reliable transportation, as only one absence is acceptable. As you know from my classroom procedures, I do not tolerate tardiness. The same applies for this opportunity.
Our first session will start Wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m. Be prompt. A laptop, notebook, and writing implement will be necessary.
Sincerely,
Dr. Andrew Chaplin
Out of habit, I checked the message twice for errors and, with a shaking hand, pressed Send.
Maybe if I could pinpoint what it was about this woman that had me so enthralled, I could stop the way my body was involuntarily responding. I had already given myself two mental lectures about the ridiculousness of the behavior but then sat daydreaming about her instead. What was next? Doodling her name on a scrap of paper in different combinations with my own?
I strode across the small office and yanked the old aluminum blind’s cord to raise it out of the way. Maybe I just needed to get some fresh air circulating through the crowded space. As it stood currently, days had passed since she’d been here, and I still couldn’t get that alluring fragrance of morning glories out of my nose.
Dust billowed from the sill as I threw open the ancient sliding window. The ledge looked like it hadn’t been dusted all semester. Our school’s janitorial staff had been on a labor strike for the past two months, so it had been at least that long. I’d have to bring a few cleaning supplies with me from home and clean up a bit before Wednesday.
Regardless of what I told myself about the motivation, my mother raised me better than to work or live in a filthy environment. The nagging voice in my mind that kept insisting I wanted to make a good impression on Maye could fuck off. I’d heard just about enough input from that nuisance at this point.
Possibly that was the way to conquer the guilt-and-excitement cocktail brewing within me. Ignore my conscience or voice of reason or whatever the hell it was that kept warning me I was getting in over my head. If I could shut that damn nag up for the summer, we’d all be in a more productive place. I couldn’t go through the next couple of months second-guessing myself on every decision, every thought, and every word I spoke to the woman. I’d drive myself insane.
The next thirty-six hours were the longest of my life.
Even though I ended up cleaning my university office from top to bottom, it still looked cramped and shoddy. Hell! It was cramped and shoddy, and no amount of lipstick would change it from the pig it was.
The best outcome from the intense cleaning session was the room smelled heavily like bleach and pine oil. My nose actually tingled from the fumes, but not a whiff of her intoxicating fragrance could be detected.
My nosy office neighbor stopped in yesterday to see what the chemical odors were about, but it was really an excuse to take me off task. Ms. Donnio had occupied the space next to mine for the past school year, and without fail, she popped her pointy nose in my door to strike up an unwanted conversation every time we had common office hours.
One of my male colleagues insisted she was there to flirt after witnessing her predictable behavior, but I shut down his nonsense immediately. The gossip monster was a problematic presence on campus, and I’d rather do anything than get swept up in that sort of nonsense. I encouraged him to ask her out if he thought she was such a great catch, and his answer still rubbed me the wrong way.
“No,” he’d laughed. “I mean, she’d be a great choice for you.” Then another forced laugh. “Not me. She’s not even close to my type.”
“What would make you think she’s my type, though?” Because honestly, she was the exact opposite of anyone I’d ever dated, but he didn’t know anything about what I looked for in a woman. I wasn’t in the habit of discussing my personal life with coworkers. Dating colleagues was just a recipe for disaster.
Something my father used to say ran through my mind. “You should never get your meat where you make your bread.” It made me grin every time I thought of one of his funny little sayings, and he was full of them. “Pearls of wisdom,” as he called them.
After straightening up one last time, I locked the door and headed to the parking lot. My car was one of a handful still there, and I took a deep lungful of fresh air while heading that way.
“Dr. Chaplin?” a female voice called from behind me when I was halfway across the lot. “Andrew?”
Great. Ms. Donnio was waving me down when I turned around, and there was no way to pretend I didn’t hear her. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and waited for her to catch up. I’d see what she wanted and get on my way. I really just wanted to pick up some takeout and go home. I was exhausted from cleaning all day and needed a shower.
“Hey.” She smiled, and instantly I was uncomfortable. “I— I didn’t hear you leave.” She thumbed back over her shoulder toward the building, as if I didn’t know where I just left from. She shrugged and went on, “I— Umm…I thought maybe we could get dinner or something?”
At least, as she stood there stammering, she looked as out of place as I felt. Nothing about this pairing would be right.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m really tired and just want to call it a day. My intern starts tomorrow,” I explained and then added, “and you know how that goes.” I rolled my eyes, acting as if this whole program were a burden.
“Oh, okay.” She looked crestfallen, but I didn’t care. Maybe turning her down indirectly all year had been a mistake. At least she seemed to hear me when I was straightforward. “Maybe another time,” she offered with a sliver of hope.
Since I was exhausted, I was a bit short-tempered. “No, I’m really not interested in you that way. I don’t believe dating colleagues is a good idea. Ever.”
