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Travis grinned, then looked over at me. “Are you expecting anyone?”
“No,” I told him. “I was hoping to escape in here for a bit, but the local paps have ruined that idea. If you’re not expecting anyone, come and join me. I could use the company.”
“I actually saw you, and had called out to you, but you must not have heard me.” I didn’t. “I’d love to join you for lunch. Have you already ordered?”
I hadn’t, but the two of us rectified that pretty quickly. Travis was so easy to talk to, and I found myself telling him more about my mother. I knew he had lost his own father a few years ago, so we had that in common. He had also confided in me about how much he disliked his stepfather. It was no wonder he was in this neighborhood to blow off time rather than enjoying the beauty of his Santa Monica home.
After he finished his salmon and I finished my salad, we ended up sharing a slice of their famed red velvet cake. Once done, we ended up walking around to burn off some of the food. The weather was beautiful here, and I hated to go back inside once I got home, so I was thrilled when my mother sent a message letting me know dinner would be served outside in the lanai. My mood had dramatically changed, but I could sense Travis’s souring. Bumping his arm with mine, I smiled at him.
“If you’re not doing anything this evening, why don’t you join me for dinner at home.”
His face lit up, and I gave him my address, then we went our separate ways. I didn’t normally invite men home, but since Travis was just a friend, I didn’t see any harm in that. It wasn’t as if I could invite Callum. Just thinking about what my father would say or do to him made me wince. If Nico decided to join forces, it’d be a one-time only thing, and I’d be lucky to have Callum go anywhere with me again. There didn’t appear to be much chance of him ever coming to Los Angeles to meet the family, so I stopped thinking about it altogether and headed home.
A few hours later, I was staring at my father’s impassive face. “Daddy, he’s just a friend. There is nothing more going on.”
Judging by his face, he didn’t believe me. It didn’t matter that I was wearing a pair of yoga pants and baggy T-shirt, he still suspected something. Just when I thought I might have to plead more with him to behave and not grill Travis like he would a suitor of mine, he exhaled. “I trust you, Nicole.”
I would’ve been a lot more relieved if only his trust was misplaced. If he really knew who I was quasi-dating, he would either lock me up, or disown me, and maybe even possibly both. Since I needed to keep things with Callum a secret, I hugged my father, and another form of shame filled me. There wasn’t much time to wallow in it, however, because the doorbell rang and I knew it was my friend. Breaking free of my father’s embrace, I hurried to the door before Dominga could get there, then smiled brightly at the boy on the other side.
“Come in. Dinner is being set up outside on the lanai.”
Travis followed me through the great room and out where everyone else seemed to be gathered. This was an intimate family dinner, so it was just my parents, brother, Travis, and me. Usually, Nico would invite whatever girl he was seeing that week. Tonight, he was flying solo, so all eyes were on me as we all sat down. My father started his inquisition, until my mother finally saw my silent plea and intervened. She was smiling, which was a huge contrast to earlier in the day, and dinner turned out well.
CALLUM
Fall break was over and done with and while I often jetted off to New York City or Miami, as I did last year, this time I stayed home in Chicago. I caught up on essays and made some adjustments to the curriculum which I would share with the students upon their arrival to class. This particular Monday morning reminded me a lot of the first day of school. Once again, I had overslept. Granted, my dream had been too damn good to wake up from which was why I purposely ignored my alarm clock.
I was just to the best part of any time spent with Nicole. We were both back in Costa Rica, and this time, there was no one else in the pool or at the beach house. We had the entire place to ourselves and I made use of every surface of the place. In fact, I’d just been about to fuck her in the pool when reality came calling in the form of a shrill bell. I nearly ripped the alarm clock out of the wall but with the moment over and done with, I reluctantly opened my eyes.
Traffic was hectic, more so than usual, and I was already counting down the weeks until the snowbirds left for the winter. I would then only have to concern myself with the tourists and out of town sports fans. I could already see myself spending most of this winter indoors, and that meant I would have a lot of time to spend with Nicole. On the drive to work, I was picturing the two of us in front of a roaring fire. These visions were ones that used to make me want to run for the hills, but with her, it was different. Instead of retreating, I wanted to run toward her.
I finally arrived at UChicago and just as she had done the first day of school, Erin Reed was there with a cup of coffee for me. “How do you always know what I need, when I need it?”
She smiled before responding, “I didn’t know if you would be running late the first day back from an extended break, so I took a gamble and I’m glad I did. It looks like I was right to worry about you and your morning coffee.”
“I’ve always considered myself anything but predictable, but I’ve been proven wrong. You’re my literal angel, and I thank you for looking out for me once again.”
Her smile grew wider. “I’m more than happy to help with whatever needs you may have.” She must’ve realized what she said because her face turned as red as her skirt, and she quickly added, “I meant at school. I’m here for whatever you need at school.”
“And I appreciate it greatly, Erin. Now, I must get to class and consume some of this elixir from the Gods that you gifted me with, and get ready for the second half of this semester.”
“Yeah, well, good luck with your class. “She then turned and hurried back to her classroom.
I remembered the near disaster on the first day of school when it came to my coffee so I didn’t linger in the center of the crowded hallway. I entered my class and went straight to my back office. I powered on my laptop and took a seat. I had to send the emails I’d composed the night before with their midterm grades, and as I sent the first few off, I began to drink my coffee. It was exactly what I needed and the extra shot of espresso Erin had them put in it was already starting to wake me up.
I got to Nicole’s grade and she was doing surprisingly well. There was a test or two where she’d missed a few of the questions, and there were a few typographical errors on her last essay, but overall she was doing very well. I never let the fact that I was sleeping with her affect my grading or judgment. Regardless, she had an A- in my course so far, which was the third highest grade in this class. I hit send on it, then continued down the list. When the last one was sent, I heard voices as the students began to file into the classroom. I finished the last of the coffee, then headed out to greet everyone. Most were already pulling out their laptops and cellphones, and when one student looked over at me and smiled, I knew she had gotten her grade.
The bell rang signaling the start of class, and I leaned against the edge of my desk. “Good morning, students. I trust that you all had a nice vacation?”
A couple students nodded, and two different girls even started telling me about their trips. One had gone to New York City which was a favorite of mine. “What did you do there?” I asked her.
“I went to see my cousin who is performing in a show on Broadway,” she told me.
“And I went home to Memphis,” the other girl said. “Have you ever been, Professor?”
“I believe I stopped there a few years ago when on a road trip for Spring Break.”
“You do Spring Break?” the guy next to her asked, and I chuckled.
