“How did it go today?” he says, still shuffling his notes.
I glance around to make sure no one can see me blushing. “Just fine.”
He looks up and smiles. “Glad to hear it.”
We share another moment of staring into each other’s eyes.
I clear my throat as I break eye contact. “I mean, thanks to the fact that we already covered the material.”
His chuckle is smooth like velvety ice cream. “Thought it wouldn’t hurt.”
Now what? The brief but special time we spent together has come to an end. And we’ve gotten closer, I think—or hope. Perhaps I was right from the get-go that he was only taking pity on me. Now that I’m no longer on the verge of failing, like an angel, he’s earned his wings and now he can fly away.
I lift my hand and wiggle my fingers good-bye. “Well, okay, thanks again for everything.”
Barbara steps in front of me, knocking me off balance. “Um, Derek?”
She’s so aggressive.
He holds up his finger to me. “Just wait a minute, Naomi.”
“Derek?” she says as if she’s been speaking his name forever.
He ruffles his eyebrows. “Yes, Barbara?”
“I’ve got some mutual friends coming by for hors d’oeuvres tonight and…”
Derek looks down to stuff his lecture notes into his briefcase.
“And I was thinking that you could come over. You know—socialize. It’s been a while since you’ve gotten out of the house and joined the real world.”
Derek shows her a pleasant smile. I love the fact that it appears there’s not a hint of attraction in his expression. Whatever Barbara feels for Derek, it’s a one-way street.
“I appreciate the offer, but I have plans tonight,” he says, respectfully declining.
“With who?” She side-eyes me.
He lifts a hand to quiet her. “Barbara, I’m sorry,” he says sternly. “I won’t be able to make it, but have fun and tell our mutual friends I said hi.”
She shakes her head. “Fine, but you’re going to have to make an appearance at some point.”
He looks at her without smiling.
She gets the hint and sighs. “Okay, then, have it your way. But would you like to grab some lunch in the meantime?”
“No thank you, I have work to do,” he says.
“Really? Is it something I can help with?”
I shrug my eyebrows. Wow, this chick is like a dog with a bloody bone. She just won’t give up.
“No. There is nothing you can help me with, Barbara.” He steps around to make eye contact with me again. “Naomi, there’s something I want to ask you.”
I glance at Barbara squeamishly.
Barbara glares at me, but she doesn’t budge.
“Thank you, Barbara, that will be all for today. I need to speak to Naomi in private.”
She opens her mouth as though she wants to say something but closes it. She looks at me again and then back at Derek. “All right. I’ll call you later.”
Derek sighs. “Good-bye, Barbara.”
She turns to walk out the door.
Derek frowns as he watches her leave. That was uncomfortable to watch. I wonder if she was that pushy when his wife was alive. I mean, doesn’t he get that she’s into him?
“So…” He looks at me again. “I was wondering if you’re already interning this semester?”
I’m sort of taken aback. “No.” Gosh, I sounded too excitable, as if I’m saying yes to him asking me on a date. “I mean, no.”
The professor tilts his head ever so slightly. “Are you busy right now?”
“No,” I say with way too much excitement again. “I mean, no,” I say calmly.
“Could I show you something?”
You can show me anything you want. “Sure.”
I’m sitting in the passenger seat of Derek Valentine’s brand spanking new four-door Lincoln MKZ. We’ve been real silent since leaving class. I know why I don’t have much to say. Being cooped up in this car with him and breathing in the scent of his delicious cologne and body odor makes me extremely nervous. I chuckle as I squeeze the strap of the seat belt.
Derek glances at me with a smile. “What is it?”
“Have you ever seen those commercials with that actor… I can’t think of his name right now, but he has an accent.”
He’s still smiling, and I’m glad he’s staying amused. “What sort of accent?”
“It’s a Southern one. Texas.”
He grunts thoughtfully. “Sounds interesting, but I haven’t watched a television program in two years.”
I gasp and look at him, shocked. “No?”
“No, Naomi. TV isn’t for me.”
“So you’re one of those non-TV-watching snobs?” I shake my head. Dang it, I can’t believe I said that.
He chuckles. “Please do explain.”
I close my eyes and shake my head again. “Sorry. That was just another one of my uncontrollable blurts.”
His frown grows more intense, which makes me feel as if I have to be clearer about what I was attempting to say.
“I mean, remember my tone the other day?”
“What tone?” he asks.
“When I said it doesn’t look as if you’re doing a good job of getting back to normal after your wife’s death.”
He nods. “Right… I wondered why you would think that.”
“Because of the wedding portrait over the fireplace. It’s, like, the only thing hanging on the wall.”
“I see,” he says, guiding the wheel with one hand and stroking his chin with the other. “I understand what that might look like, but it’s not what it seems.”
He puts both hands on the steering wheel and stares straight ahead. I’m waiting for him to say more, but I’m pretty sure that’s all he has to say on the matter. I still want to know more.
“Then what is it?” I ask.
He’s quiet for a moment. “I didn’t know where to put it, so I just left it there. I can’t donate a wedding portrait. Nobody wants a wedding portrait of two strangers hanging in their house.”
“Oh,” I say. “Is that why there’s hardly any furniture in your living room? You donated it all?”
He shifts uncomfortably. “I planned on moving a lot sooner than I have.”
I shake my head, satisfied by the answer. “I see.”
Well, that conversation just thickened the air between us. I turn to look at Lake Calhoun as we veer onto Excelsior. A few blocks up, we pass my father’s law firm. It’s in the penthouse suite of the Riley Tower. No recent law school graduate would turn down a chance to work there, but just the thought of gracing its over-decorated halls filled with over-bloated egos leaves a sick feeling in the pit of my belly.
I sigh with relief when we turn off Excelsior and head up Highway 100. I still have no idea where Derek is taking me, but I’m glad that it’s nowhere near Sutters, Bell, and Ashton.
I glance at Derek, and he’s already looking at me. We grin at each other. For some reason, I feel as if I’ve been gazing into his piercing brown eyes all my life.
“So where are you taking me?” I ask.
“Like I said, it’s a secret.”
“I guess I’ll have to trust you then,” I say.
He tosses his head back and laughs. Then he flexes his eyebrows at me as he turns the corner. Wow, that look in his eyes—it’s as if naughty thoughts are running through that head of his.
We make it to a one-story building on the opposite side of town from where my father’s offices are. The area is cute. There’s a dog park across the street, a tiny deli on one side of the building, and a blinds store on the other.
Derek uses his key to unlock the glass door. He opens it for me.
“Thank you,” I say, not wanting to take his chivalry for granted.
“You’re welcome.”
His breath presses gently against the side of my face and tickles my heart.
He steps ahead of m
e and spreads his arms, showcasing the space. “The renovations will be complete by next Friday.”
I look away from that excited glint in his eyes to notice the cans of paint against a half-painted wall and boxes of hardwood tile stacked against another wall. There are four doorways at the back of the large open space. Those must be offices. I look inside one of the rooms and see a large window with a lake view, and it’s not even a corner office.
“What is this?” I ask.
“My new office.”
My jaw drops as I calculate the possibilities of what this means. “Are you leaving the university?”
Derek takes a deep breath and looks around his new offices. “So, sabbatical came up, and I thought, do I really want it? Do I really need it? Then, I thought, what do I really want? What have I always wanted?” He turns in a circle, admiring the space. “It’s this. So to answer your question, yes, I’m leaving the university.”
“Oh, when?” Dang it, I could kick myself for not looking as if I share his enthusiasm.
“The end of the semester, but this shop will be up and running before then.”
I make myself smile. “I’m happy for you, but you’re, like, a staple in the law school. It’s sort of too bad for all the up-and-coming coeds who won’t get the Professor Valentine experience.”
He smirks as he rubs his chin. “I’m curious—what’s the Professor Valentine experience?”
I can’t see my face, but I can tell I’m blushing. “Maybe it’s not for me to tell but for you to find out.”
He laughs. “Okay... so… why do you think I brought you here?”
I don’t know, to bang me? I quickly erase that thought. “I don’t know. Why?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to work for me, at least part time? I know we’re a small operation—”
“We’re?”
“Yes, I have one partner.”
I can’t help but wonder if his partner is male or female.
“Davis Holbrook,” he says, reading my mind.
I think back to when we drove past my father’s penthouse firm. I still can’t picture myself working there. I really don’t want to be Dick Sutters’s little girl with a silver spoon in her mouth.
“Yes… I would love to work for you.”
He flinches as if he’s taken aback. “Yeah?”
I frown. I wonder if he’s so surprised because he knows my father. I’m sure he does—the entire faculty knows. Now I’m wondering if he only helped me to suck up to my father or, even worse, stick it to my dad.
I open my mouth to ask, but his eyes are shining and he looks happy. I don’t want to ruin this moment. Plus, who cares why he helped me? It worked. We might not be lovers, but we’re closer—perhaps he’s a mentor.
“So when do you want me to start?” I say.
“How does next week sound?”
I don’t even hesitate. The thought of prolonging our association thrills me. “I’m available next week.”
My cell phone rings in my jacket pocket. Answering the call would be rude, so I take it out and quiet the device. However, I do see that it’s my father calling.
Now Derek’s cell phone rings, and he also takes his out of his coat pocket and quiets it.
“Seems like we’re both in demand,” he says.
I can hardly contain myself when he looks at me that way, so I withdraw my gaze from his face and look instead at the couple who just walked past the front door.
“Well…”
I get a grip and look at him again. He’s smiling, so I smile.
Derek extends his hand. “Glad to have you on board.”
I shake it. His palm is warm and wet. I bet his kiss is too.
“Glad to be on board,” I say.
11
I get home. I’m exhausted and excited. The job most women would kill for, just to be close to the sexy professor, just landed in my lap. I go straight to my room and check my messages.
Dick’s call earlier was about dinner on Friday evening. He said he has an announcement to make and asked me to call if I can’t make it.
“Of course I’ll call you if I can’t make it,” I mutter.
Before I can delete the message, my phone buzzes. When I see that it’s a text from Derek, I nearly wet my pants.
It reads: “Glad you could make it today. Excited to be working with you.”
I look around my room as if to see if someone else is seeing this. Of course no one else is—I’m here alone. I stare at the screen, contemplating how to respond. I tap, “Oh yeah, me too.”
I read it a few times.
Delete.
I don’t want to sound unenthused.
I tap, “Excellent. I’m looking forward to the opportunity!”
I read that a few times.
Delete.
That makes me sound too eager.
“Great, me too.”
I read it twice. That works. I tap send and glare at my phone as though it’s a crystal ball that holds the key to my future.
A minute goes by. Nothing.
I set the phone down next to my computer and head to the kitchen to make myself a sandwich before studying. My phone rings before I can make it to the door. I run back to grab it, hoping it’s Derek. I look at the name on the screen. It’s Gina.
“Hey,” I say.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Nothing at the moment.”
“Good, because I’ve got to see you now.”
“Wow, sounds serious. What’s going on?”
“I have to tell you this in person. Can you come out tonight? Please?” she pleads.
I frown, concerned. I’ve never heard Gina this scatterbrained. “Okay. Where?”
“The Coffee Habit—be there in thirty.”
I end the call, throw on my sweater, and head out.
Twenty minutes later, I walk into The Coffee Habit. Gina is at the counter, placing an order.
She turns, sees me, and hollers, “I got you a vanilla latte, right?”
I give her the thumbs-up. “Where do I sit?”
Everyone is glaring at us.
She points toward the center of the dining area. “My bag’s already at the table in the middle.”
I recognize her bag. It’s the leather satchel she bought while on vacation in Puerto Vallarta last year. I take a seat beside it.
Five minutes later, Gina comes over carrying one drink in each hand. “Guess what?”
She hands me my drink. “What?”
“I finished the bar exam today.”
“Geesh, I forgot.” I slap myself on the forehead.
She flips her hand dismissively and takes the seat across from me. “Don’t worry, Nom. You’ve had a lot on your plate.”
“Well, how did it go?”
“Kicked its ass.”
I flinch. “That’s new.”
“That’s right. This time, I’m a winner, not a loser. I know it—but that’s not why I called you here.”
I slap my hand over my heart in fake relief. “Great, because you could’ve told me that over the phone.”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t be facetious, almost-law-school-dropout.”
I roll my eyes. “Just get on with it.”
“Guess what?” she says melodramatically.
“What?” I say, matching her energy.
“I did it with Randy.”
I don’t understand what she means. “Did what?”
“It.”
I narrow one eye. “Sex.”
“Yes.”
“With Randy…?” I’m trying to place the name to a face, because she surely can’t mean… “Your boss Randy?”
She puts her hands over her face. “Uh-huh.”
I flinch as if I’ve been hit in the face with a bag of rocks. “But… what?”
Gina’s still covering her face, but now she’s shaking her head.
“Well, was there alcohol involved?” I ask.
“No…” she w
himpers.
“Well then, what the hell was it?”
“I think it was stress.”
I sigh and reach across the table to take her hands off of her face, laughing. “It’s okay. It’s just sex—and at least he looks like Clark Kent. You’ll make the cutest little Supermans with him if it ever comes to that.”
She grunts. “Really? Screw you, Nom.”
We laugh.
“Anyway, enough about my crazy shit. Tell me about yours.”
I catch her up on the last couple of days that I spent with Derek.
“Oh… so you’re on a first-name basis with him now?” she says, cutesy-like, while tucking her chin against her shoulder.
I grin while nodding.
“And you’re telling me that Barbara Lipton knew his wife?”
“They were best friends!”
“Oh. My. God.” She shakes her head. “There’s something fishy going on in Denmark!”
I frown. “Denmark?”
“It’s just a saying.”
“I know that but—”
“Think about it. Out of all the chicks who are horny for Valentine, she’s the worst. I’ve even seen her rub her tits up against his back—more than once!”
I snort cynically. “No way! When?”
Gina sits up in her seat like she’s going to erupt. “Okay… like, one class, she walked behind him and pretended like she didn’t have enough space to pass between Valentine and the chalkboard and bam!”—she throws her hands up—“tits on his back.”
She’s so animated that I laugh my head off.
Gina holds up two fingers. “The second time…”
I wave. “Forget it. Once is enough, but you’re right—she’s pretty fishy.”
“Damn right it is, but enough about her. What about you? Have you and the sexy professor fucked yet?”
I look around, hoping no one heard her. I lean across the table. “No,” I say, keeping my voice down.
She shakes her finger at me. “Uh-oh. You’re not opposed to it, are you?”
“Yes,” I say way too fast to sound honest.
Gina laughs. “Hot damn, Nom, you’re about to land the most eligible bachelor in the state of Minnesota.”
I frown. A number of thoughts and feelings surge through me, but the biggest one is hope. Because I hope she’s right.
Her Perfect Man- The Complete Series Box Set Page 40
