Professor next Door

by Summer Cooper

  “I hear that, but you can’t work all the time. It’s not healthy for the soul,” Richard remarked.

  “Says the biggest workaholic I know,” Angela retorted.

  “Touché,” Richard replied.

  “You guys ready?!” Naomi shouted.

  Angela and Richard raised their hands as Naomi tossed the ball up and hit a strong serve that sailed over the net. Richard instantly sprang into action and returned the ball back across the net, sailing right past the feet of Teddy who watched it swoosh by him with a dumbfounded look on his face.

  “That was great,” Angela gasped.

  Richard winked at her.

  She tried to hold back the blush, which only intensified as Richard performed athletic feat after athletic feat, dominating the court and making all of them feel like they had no business being out there. Angela was amazed at the physical prowess of the man. He was moving with agility and strength that a man fifteen years younger could not have mustered. The man was a sexy machine that was for sure.

  After the third game, Angela and Naomi were completely beat and they all decided to call it quits. Angela and Richard had won each and every game by a large margin. Naomi and Teddy were getting increasingly frustrated and by the third game were bickering like some old married couple. If there was any romantic spark between them at all to begin with (with Naomi there was a chance of that with any somewhat good-looking, successful guy in her vicinity) it had all been dashed to smithereens by the middle of the second match. It was rather entertaining to see how flustered they were.

  Angela felt that she held her own and she had made several great shots, but nothing like what Richard had accomplished. He might have won the game if she had not even been there. There was not one ball that got past him if it landed anywhere near him.

  “Well, this has been fun,” Teddy said, trying to not appear as out of breath as he clearly was. “Richard, old friend, I’ve got to be off. I have a lunch date scheduled with a lady friend of mine.”

  Richard shook Teddy’s hand. Teddy said goodbye and nodded politely at Naomi before making his departure. Angela wondered how much of what Teddy did was a complete act and fabrication. He reminded her of some old, stately British gentleman when he was just a kid from a wealthy section of Queens.

  “I’m going to take off too,” Naomi said. “I’ll see you later Angela.”

  Angela observed Richard’s face as his only daughter walked away without so much as a goodbye; it was cold and Angela felt bad for him. His eyes were still beaming with pride and love for the daughter who practically ignored him. It was a horrible situation and Angela was not sure how much longer she could continue biting her tongue with Naomi. The girl needed a wake-up call in the worst possible way.

  “I thought she was getting better,” Angela said.

  “What?” Richard asked, moved from his thoughts.

  “Well, with the party and everything she seemed like she finally was starting to break down some of the walls that she has built between you two all these years. That speech you gave was beautiful and I saw some love and tears in her eyes for the first time in a while. What happened?”

  “She did weaken briefly. She got caught up in the emotion of everything, but one good night’s sleep and waking up in a different environment was all that was needed for the old Naomi to come back into the picture. It’s okay. I didn’t think it was going to work miracles. I didn’t do it hoping to win her over; I did it because I love her and I wanted her and everyone else to see how proud I am of my little girl who is a little girl no longer.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about. I know how much you love her. How can she not see it? How can she not feel that bond that you have with her?”

  “I think she does feel it. And it pisses her off.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it reminds her that she is directing her anger towards the wrong person. She refuses to believe anything bad about her mother. Since she was old enough to form her own thoughts and opinions, Stephanie has been her whole world and when she just up and left the family behind, Naomi didn’t know how to process that. So she just lashed out at me. And she’s still doing it. She’s a grown woman, she knows what she’s doing is wrong, but her fear and her pain won’t let her give in. She’s terrified of what might happen inside of her if it did.”

  “I wish some of your insight would rub off on my parents,” Angela said.

  “Your parents are good people. A little misguided at times, as all parents are, but you know that when it comes to you they’re convinced that they’re always doing the right thing.”

  Angela blushed. “You’re right. I hate that about you. Why are you always right about everything?” she teased.

  Richard blushed slightly, “I’m not always right. I like to think that I know what is right when I see it, but there are times when I don’t have all the answers. It’s just something that comes along with time. You’ll get there.”

  “What? Are you saying I’m too young to be so insightful?” Angela teased.

  “No, I’m saying you’re too young to become this embittered and disillusioned with the world,” Richard replied.

  “Okay, well that’s better, I guess. I do like to keep my positivity and I hope it stays around for a good long while.”

  “I’m sure it will. Did Nick send you the pictures yet?”

  Angela felt her face start to glow. “Yes! He did. They’re fantastic. I can’t believe it’s really me!”

  “Of course it’s you. I told you: you have the kind of raw talent that is given to the very few.”

  “Oh, I bet you say that to all the girls,” Angela said. She felt weird reciting such a clichéd line but she was too tired to really think of anything wittier. She was a bit preoccupied thinking about just sliding down into a warm, sweet bubble bath. That would hit the spot. It would hit the spot even better if the sexy Richard Kane would join her. But she knew it was too soon for that, far too soon. But it was definitely in the cards for the future. She could tell that.

  “Only the ones named Angela Walters,” Richard said with a smile.

  “So, what are you up to the rest of the day?” Angela asked. She felt odd that she had let that slip out of her mouth, but she had been so taken aback by the blushing comments he just said that she let slip the first thing that came to her mind.

  “No plans really,” Richard said. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I didn’t have anything in mind; I was just making conversation. You’re a very curious individual,” Angela said, admiring her own remarkable ability to improvise and cover the slip up so well.

  “Well, it just so happens I do have a very busy day planned. I have a golf game in a bit with a few colleagues of mine. It’s mostly fun, but of course, when it involves colleagues there’s going to be some business done at some point. So it’s a little boring, but not totally. Do you play?”

  “Golf? Oh, I have played, but I’m really not that into it. My dad loves it, though. He used to drag me to play it every Sunday when I was a kid. For some reason, it was his way of having strong father-daughter time.”

  “Well, that is an important thing to get. It’s not always easy for fathers to relate to daughters on their own level, so we reach out at anything we can possibly think of to bond over. It’s rarely successful, but daughters need to be aware that we are trying and that they should love us for it.”

  Angela smiled at Richard, “I guess I never really thought of it that way, but I do hate the game. It’s too much walking around and accomplishing nothing.”

  “You just have to appreciate the quiet nature of the game. It’s really more about communing with nature than anything else, I think.”

  “Maybe, I’ll give it a shot sometime. I have to go, but it was great seeing you again.”

  “Sure thing. Let’s get together this week some night. I’m not taking no for an answer; no excuses,” Richard said with a smile.

  Angela shook her head. The man was i
mpossible and she loved that about him. That was the kind of persistence she was looking for.

  “Okay, it’s a date.”

  “Great. I’ll say hi to your dad when I see him,” Richard said.

  “When will that be?”

  “In about two hours on the golf course,” Richard said with a wink as he walked away.

  Angela felt strange suddenly. She wondered if anything about her would come up during the golf game and who else might be in on this game. She knew that it shouldn’t matter; after all, she was a grown woman and if she wanted to allow Richard Kane to pursue her then that was her own business, but for some reason, she felt like she was doing something naughty that her father was going to punish her for.

  Of course, his punishment typically meant he would lecture her to death. She was surprised her own father had not become a lawyer. Not only did he have the analytical brain for it and the innate ability to tell when anyone was not being completely truthful about something, but he could talk and talk about a simple topic until you were so sick of hearing it that you would say whatever he wanted just to get him to shut the hell up.

  As Angela walked back to the locker room she thought about Naomi and how she was going to blow up if she knew about her and Richard. It was not going to be a pretty scene and it was possible she might lose a friendship over it—at least initially—but she had decided it was worth it. It was not worth it because she was already falling in love with Richard, but it was worth it because she knew that this was not anyone else’s business and no one really had the right to be upset about it. Especially Naomi. Her father could do what he wanted and Angela could do what she wanted. If Naomi was willing to dissolve their friendship over something so silly then that was just her problem. Angela was tired of thinking about it and worrying. Besides, it was still too early to tell what was going to happen with it all.

  She kept using the term ‘falling in love’ when she thought about Richard. Was it true? Did she really feel that way? She still hardly knew the man in that way, but with what she already knew and the way she had found herself becoming fixated on him over the past few years, it really didn’t feel that fast. She felt like it was something that was slowly brewing for quite some time and now it was ready. This was the time to experience the love that was possible for the two of them to feel.

  But did Richard feel the same way? That was a different story. He was naturally flirty and full of confidence so it was tough to tell when he was being seductive intentionally or when he was being himself, which was also very seductive—he probably wasn’t even really aware of it.

  Angela finished her shower and changed back into her street clothes. Then she went to the mall to do some shopping; that always took her mind off things.

  And that was exactly what she needed now.

  Chapter 7

  “Oh, this tortellini is the best. It is simply to die for,” Robert Walters said as he finished his dish. He pushed back from the table and held back a burp until he was satisfied.

  Angela was only mildly grossed out, but she was pretty much used to this. They were eating dinner at Da Vinci’s—her father’s favorite Italian—and so far everything had been going pretty smoothly. Her mother was prattling on about this engagement and that engagement that she presently had in the works and how well the new fragrance was doing that they had just launched. It had been her idea and her pet project. Robert had been a bit hesitant to make the slight leap from fashion to fragrance, but he left Jane in charge of it and it had been a fairly successful launch.

  Angela was a bit shocked that her father and mother had asked her to dinner on a Sunday night, especially at the last minute, but it turns out the Guernsey’s were suddenly unavailable due to some illness in the family and they’d had to rush out of town. Angela felt pretty certain that was a total crock and she had a feeling her parents knew it too, but it was rather unspoken. The Guernsey’s had been their closest neighbors in all the years they had resided in Manhattan. Angela knew them quite well. They were nice people, but they were in fact painfully boring as hell. But for some reason, every so often her parents felt the need to have dinner with them. It was very odd.

  “It was very good. I usually don’t care for tortellini, but I thought this was splendid,” Angela’s mother said.

  “I’m surprised you ate any pasta. Aren’t you totally averse to carbs, mom?” Angela asked. She loved to kid her mother about her constant inability to stick to any one diet. She was always on some new diet plan and after a week or two she would chuck it for another flavor of the month weight loss plan that was destined to work. Of course, her mother was barely a size six and didn’t need to lose weight unless she wanted to disappear, but it was true that once a model—always a model. At least in the mind. Her mother still ate like she was getting ready for a big photoshoot.

  Angela wondered if she would have to start monitoring every ounce of food that went into her mouth soon. Nick had called her earlier and told her that one of the agencies he did work for loved her pictures. They felt that there was something raw and pure in her that they had not really seen before and they knew that she could be a new up-and-coming talent. Angela had almost wet herself with joy. She instantly phoned Richard who offered his congratulations. It felt so sweet to have his approval and she thanked him profusely for setting it all up. If it hadn’t been for him then she never would have taken the plunge.

  Now she just had to break the news to her parents.

  “So, you played some golf today, dad?” Angela asked. She figured that talking about her father’s greatest passion might be a good lead in.

  “That I did.”

  “How did you do?”

  “Not bad, not bad.”

  “How did you know I played today?”

  “Oh, I ran into Richard Kane at the country club this morning and he mentioned you guys were playing.”

  “Oh, yeah. I meant to talk to you about him,” Robert said.

  “Yes?” Angela asked nervously.

  “I think he has designs on you,” Robert replied.

  “What? What are you talking about?” Angela asked.

  “Robert, don’t go jumping to conclusions,” Jane added.

  “I’m not. The man tells me today when we were playing golf that he helped Angela get a modeling portfolio together. The only time that man goes out of his way to help a beautiful, young woman out like that is when he is interested in her romantically.”

  “That’s preposterous. You can’t judge something like that,” Angela said.

  “Are you denying that he is interested in you?”

  Angela was quiet a moment. She figured it was now or never.

  “So what if he is?” Angela asked.

  “Angela, surely you can’t be serious,” her mother began.

  “It’s disgraceful,” her father chimed back in.

  “Why? Why is it disgraceful? What is wrong with it? He likes me and I like him.”

  “The man is my age. That is very strange, don’t you think?” Robert asked.

  “No, I don’t think it’s strange at all. He’s an attractive and successful man who seems to think that I am very special.”

  “He thinks all beautiful women are special.”

  “You really don’t know him as well as you think you do.”

  “Really? So he really thinks you have what it takes to be a model?” her father asked.

  “Yes. As a matter of fact he does and so do I. And so does Nick the photographer Richard introduced me to and Madeline Cale.”

  “Madeline Cale? What are you talking about?” Robert asked.

  “Nick sent my pictures to The Cale Group and Madeline responded back that they are very interested in me. That’s right—they loved my pictures.”

  “Well, honey that is great. I am very happy for you,” Jane said.

  “What about you, dad? Are you happy for me too? Are you eating your words about now?” Angela said. The anger was really welling up deep inside of her now.


  “I’m happy for you too,” Robert said. “That is terrific news.”

  “I don’t believe you. All my life I’ve dreamed of being a model and you both steered me clear of it. You would never even let me speak about it growing up. Why? Did you not think I was good enough?”

  “It’s not that; we knew that you could be anything you wanted to be. You have the brains and the beauty to conquer the world, sweetie,” Robert said.

  “Then why? Why did you refuse to ever give me this chance?”

  “We were trying to protect you. This business chews people up and spits them out. It’s not the type of environment we wanted you to become a part of,” Jane said. “I’ve been there; I know what it’s like. We wanted something better for you.”

  “I don’t believe it. You never thought for a moment to let me make that decision for myself?”

  “We wanted what was best for you. We love you and like your mother says we were trying to keep you safe,” Robert said.

  “I could understand that when I was a child, but not now. When I grew up, when I turned eighteen you wouldn’t hear of it then either. You just dismissed it anytime I thought of it until I had almost forgotten about the dream entirely. Until Richard Kane revived it in me.”

  “I don’t want you to see that man romantically,” Robert said. “He is a womanizer. He will throw you aside when he gets bored with you. Just wait and see.”

  “He is one of your closest friends. How can you think so lowly of him?” Angela asked.

  “He is a good friend to us. We’re not impressionable young girls that he is trying to woo into bed.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I know his history. I know that he has a reputation, but I also know that people like to form opinions of others to make themselves feel better and they are hardly ever fully accurate. I am old enough to decide what goals I pursue and I am old enough to decide what man I want.”