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I smile once more at that friend’s name. And then open to the third or fourth page, securely bound at the top of the thick paper sheaf.Scene Oneis there for me to read once more, hoping all my main memories about this plot are still accurate.
I take a deep breath. Before I begin to read, I whisper one earnest request into the air.
“Talk to me, Gio.”
* * *
“Dude.Hey.”
I lift a hand instead of my head, using my other one to flip through the last pages of the script. I have no idea how long it’s taken me to reread through this thing. Exponentially fast reading skills are a handy thing to have when a guy needs to read through a writer’s whole backlog of scripts in a single afternoon, but as I’ve just learned, content retention becomes the sacrificial lamb.
The same one I’ve just sewn back together, stitch by painstaking stitch. Word by surreal word. Dizzy and dazed from the effort. Probably a lot of other things too, but I can’t identify every feeling except for the grim shock that’s still stumbling through every part of me. Trying and failing to escape the same buzz saw that hacked up my lamb.
“Maximus!”
I jog up my head higher. Slowly, Jesse’s face comes into focus. “Huh? What?”
“Right backdoesn’t mean forty-five minutes, buddy.”
“He’s right.”
To my surprise, though not unpleasant, the addendum comes from a new arrival to this end of the building. My reeling senses are thrilled about the solid ground of minding my manners, so I rise for the handsome woman who strides in, her proud posture looking professional even in crisp casual wear.
“President McCarthy. A pleasure to see you, ma’am.”
“Same to you, of course,” the woman answers. “We weren’t going to be on campus very long but overheard chatter on a guardsman’s radio that there’d been a Maximus Kane sighting in the research library. Imagine that.”
I shake my head. “You’d think they’d have more important things to worry about.”
“When one of my favorite professors is also my most famous, that can take on a silver lining. Two birds and one stone, right?”
I chuckle. “Sorry if you had to wait. I just—”
“Lost track of time while reading?” She cocks her head back, showing off the simple but high-quality jewelry in her ears. “Would you also imaginethat?”
Normally that’d get her a sizable chuckle from my end of things. But this isn’t a normal circumstance.
Nothing near it.
Especially when I notice that McCarthy’swewasn’t the royal version. She’s really brought along a guest. One that, on everyone’s first impression, exudes the same efficient aura as Alameda’s president.
Everyone’s but mine.
Because I’ll never see Erin Levin as anyone—anything—other than what she really is.
Since there hasn’t been a spare second to brief Jesse on the professor’s true identity, he’s still turning on the charm with clear intent to impress her.
“No matter what, we’re glad for the visit,” he affirms to both women. “We were informed that you’re settled into a home office until the guardsmen leave campus.”
“Still the case,” McCarthy returns. “But I haven’t been back to campus since the earthquakes and felt a quick check on things was necessary. Professor Levin was kind enough to brave the drive with me.”
“Which wasn’t too strenuous, I hope?” Arden’s insertion, earning him an appreciative smile from McCarthy, turns into an odd triangle once he assesses Erin. But it’s not a leer or even a flirt. It’s almost like he already sees through her.
“It wasn’t at all,” McCarthy answers, pausing just for a second as if scrolling a mental list of social contacts. “Thank you for asking…Mr. Prieto, is that it? We met at the Conquistador Crush gala. You were with Veronica Valari that night, yes?”
“Indeed.” Arden’s smile is smooth and easy. “You have an outstanding memory, President McCarthy.”
“Doesn’t take anything of the sort to recognize what a stunning couple you two are,” she gushes, already pleased about her compliment. “Veronica’s a lucky lady.”
