She didn’t know what to say. She’d be thrilled.
“It is a paid position, a small stipend, and your semester tuition would be covered.”
Her eyes misted over, and she tried to hide the tears that welled up. “I’d be honored. And that will be helpful. Thank you.” She cleared her throat and sat up straighter. “Just let me know what I can do to prepare, and if there’s more I should bring. I won’t let you down.”
He shook his head and waved a hand. “I’m not worried for one second about you letting us down. You’ll find we’re pretty relaxed about most things.”
Relief sent a more relaxed wave through her amped-up tension.
“Except in our passion about history. If you can help keep us organized and maybe read some of the papers for me, that would be a great start.”
She smiled. “I can do that. Thank you again. I’ll do my best.”
“The department head and her husband are coming along as well. You’ll like them. She’s a good friend who shares a passion for the subject. And this doesn’t change the fact that I’m still hoping for a small group of students who want to do extra, who hunger for more. I’d love you to be a part of that.”
“I’ll try to help put together a group.”
He nodded. “Excellent.”
They seemed to be finished with the conversation, but he lingered, his face tilted up to the sun, so she did the same. A bird landed in the tree beside them and serenaded their quiet moment.
He cleared his throat. “Thank you.” His thick, wavy chestnut hair shone in the sun. When he turned his eyes on her, she tried not to stare into them. They were a fascinating color. That must be why she was so drawn to him, to them. Once she was caught in his gaze, she couldn’t look away.
After a minute, he smiled. “I look forward to talking shop with you. It’s going to be an interesting semester. Believe it or not, in all the people who applied, there was a decent core who seem to really care about the historical aspects of our trip.”
“Is there an itinerary I can look at? Or see last year’s stops?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. When I run this class, we do things differently.” He leaned back on his hands. “Some of our hidden secrets are off the beaten path, but absolutely vital to understanding the history of the region.”
Her excitement rose to new levels, and she tried to contain it, but she couldn’t completely.
She clapped her hands. “This is going to be the most amazing semester of my life, I’m sure of it.” She laughed and then turned away. “I sound just like the new freshman in my dorm.”
“You’re living in the dorm?”
“I feel a bit like I missed that boat, but yes. It was time to get back up here on campus, and I wasn’t sure where to find an apartment, so the dorms it is.”
She could see all kinds of questions brewing behind his eyes, but she didn’t want to get into the whole cancer thing. She definitely didn’t want to be viewed differently, especially by him. She waved her hand. “I’ll be out of there by the time we get back from Italy. And for now, it works. The food is always prepared and cleaned up for me. Can’t beat that.”
“True. I guess not.” He stood. “I’m happy I stumbled upon you this morning. I was going to call you in to offer you the job later this afternoon, but this saves us both the trip.”
She smiled and stood to shake his hand. “Thank you for the opportunity. I will work hard to meet expectations.”
He nodded, again, his eyes searching, always intense, like he saw more of her than perhaps she wanted to show. “I’m sure you will. If I were to guess, I’d say you will be quite remarkable. Your essay was the best we’ve ever had.”
She looked away and he coughed. Then he nodded. “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you around. We’ll have a faculty meeting sometime before we go, and you and I will meet to discuss curriculum requirements and semester milestones. I’ll be in touch.”
“Sounds good. Looking forward to it.”
As he walked away, she called out, “Thanks again!”
What was wrong with her? She could not be attracted to her professor! Though, who wouldn’t be attracted to that guy? But she couldn’t push boundaries. She needed to be professional. Only. Wow. Those eyes, that face. And he definitely worked out. Couldn’t he grow a belly like most male professors she’d had? That would certainly make things easier.
But being a TA. That was a huge and much needed boon. Tuition paid for. And a deeper grasp of the subject material, and one-on-one time with the professor.
She sucked in her breath, refusing to dwell on the obvious pull. This was an opportunity to learn from one of the experts in the field. Before meeting him, her main desire was to get to know him well enough that she could come to him with research questions. Well, it looked as though all her hopes were being met one by one.
As long as she could remember her main focus when she saw him again, instead of being completely distracted by the handsome Professor Adams.
Chapter 3
Dexter made his way across campus, smiling. What a fantastic TA he’d found. When he told the others about her, they’d line up to try and snag her next. He’d shown Maggie her application, and the department head had immediately agreed to hire her. “She’s perfect for this study abroad, and the TA position could even count as a paid internship for her major. She could use a few breaks.”
He was curious about Maggie’s last comment, but class had been about to start, so he’d left, planning to ask more about Shawna later.
His interest was academic. He told himself he was still squarely acting in his role as her professor and mentor, but he couldn’t deny the purely masculine interest she inspired in him. And, because of his growing fascination with her, he would need to emphasize her role with him when they were together, and it couldn’t hurt to start piling on assignments either. That would put him squarely in professor role where they were concerned. He grinned and rubbed his hands together.
But now he needed to head over to his father’s board meeting. The debate about a new product line was continuing, and he felt the need to see it through before a vote. He could feel himself gearing up as he drove to his father’s business building. He hated the competition, the posturing. Every person in there tried to prove just how much a team player they were while nudging everyone near them out of the way. He’d never seen anything so ridiculous, and it exhausted him. But he could do one more afternoon. This company was everything to his dad, his legacy, so to speak. Dexter pasted on his business smile.
When he exited the elevator, his gut twisted in surprise. Folana stood in front of the receptionist desk, laughing with Christina, the woman who had sat right at that same desk, guarding that post since he was a young teenager. But Folana, she was new to his life. And he was not sure how much he wanted to include her in it.
A suspicion tickled his insides. Was it a coincidence that she was here as well? He stepped forward, smile still in place. “Christina, always a pleasure. What does it say about me that I still approach this desk with hopes for a lollipop?”
She laughed, and her cheeks rosied up as always. She reached in her drawer and pulled out a watermelon-flavored Blow Pop. “For old times’ sake.”
His grin turned natural, and affection for this dear woman filled him. He’d spent many hours behind her desk as she’d tried to help him with math problems she didn’t know how to figure out. One word—solidarity. He chuckled. Then he turned to the stunning woman at his side. “Folana. Always a pleasure.” He took her hand in his.
She sidled closer, her deep brown eyes inviting. “You as well. I’m actually doing a presentation for the board today. We’re headed to the same place.”
So, she’d been waiting for him.
He winked at Christina over his shoulder and joined Folana as she headed down the hall. “What is the subject of your presentation?”
Her long dark hair glistened behind her, pulled back in a ponytail that bared her beautiful neck
and jawline. She was exquisite in her beauty. His parents loved her and her family. But no matter how much he recognized her beauty, he never felt anything about it.
“Something that should help the discussions about the future of a specific product line.”
“Do you have a stake in the conversation?”
“I do.” She placed a hand on his arm, her large eyes close and open to him. “A personal one.”
He swallowed. Then nodded. He didn’t know what to say.
They continued into the room. The atmosphere didn’t feel as stifling as he’d feared. The players were friendly. His dad smiled and waved him in. Maybe it wouldn’t be so difficult to step in now and then after all. His dad certainly appreciated it.
Folana took the seat at his side, which he found interesting. And his dad began the meeting.
When they were about to break for lunch, she placed a hand on his knee.
He almost jumped out of his seat.
“I need some air. Do you want to grab lunch with me?” she murmured. He leaned closer to hear her. She smelled sweet, like the honeysuckle at the lake house. “I could really use a hamburger.”
He laughed too loud. People turned to look, but his dad didn’t frown. “Really?”
“Totally. I’m starving.”
So here was something interesting about the mysterious Folana. She loved a good burger. He could appreciate that in a woman. “Then I know just the place.”
He escorted her out. They had an hour for lunch, so he took her close to campus. Kasey’s had the best burgers. “Your life will never be the same after trying a Kasey’s burger.”
“Really?”
“Totally. Family owned. Secret recipe. Mind. Blown.”
She laughed and let him lead the way. The air was beautiful. Downtown Atlanta always made him smile. “I don’t head over to the business district as often as I should.”
“Well, it’s not like it’s zoned or anything around here. You just mean outside of campus.”
He nodded. “True. That is what I mean. It feels like a separate world just ten blocks over.”
“Are we walking ten blocks?”
“We can get a car if you like. It just seemed like such a nice day for it.”
“Sure, walking is great. Do you like teaching?”
“I love it. But…” He leaned closer as if to tell her a secret. “I love the research more.”
She wrinkled her nose.
“Ah, not a fellow researcher?” He immediately began to doubt the findings of her presentation.
“No. Research is vital, but I prefer looking at the charts after the research. I love data analysis.”
Now he wrinkled his nose. “I guess we would make a good team. I could hand you all the fascinating bits of information I learned, and you could assemble them into something meaningful.”
“I see that.” Her eyes smiled with a hint of hope. He wondered how interested in him she really was.
He stuck his hands in his pockets. “This is nice. If lunch goes well, maybe we should graduate to dinner sometime?”
“If lunch goes well…is this like an evaluation?”
“Ah, no. Sorry. I’m just giving you an out if the stodgy professor becomes too boring.”
“I don’t think that would happen.” She smiled.
“Then dinner it is?”
“I’d like that.” She was difficult for him to read. She was always professional, a bit out of reach emotionally, but she seemed amenable to the idea.
So he set up a date with Falona, something he’d never planned on doing. But she was willing, and he was curious.
He held the door open to Kasey’s, relieved the place wasn’t crowded yet. “We beat the students.”
They ordered at the counter and took their number.
“This takes me back.”
“Did you have a Kasey’s?”
“Yes, ours was called Bob’s.”
He laughed. “Ingenious.”
“They had the best burgers.”
“Our Kasey’s is going to blow Bob’s out of the park. No longer will Bob’s burgers even linger in your memory, only the dates who took you there will remain.”
“I hope not.”
They sat together in a corner table. “Oh, no?”
“Let’s just say some memories are best left right there in the subconscious.”
Their food arrived, and true to her word, Falona loved burgers. Her eyes lit up as she lifted a burger the size of her head, took the first bite, and groaned with pleasure.
He made himself look away from her lovely lips, the red color still intact. Why was he willing to spend time with her? He’d even asked her on a date when he’d pronounced all dating off-limits for the foreseeable future? He was curious about her. Plain and simple.
The door jingled, and, as if on cue, Shawna entered.
He forced himself to swallow and immediately wanted to hide. What was wrong with him? He was just eating lunch with a colleague. She was a student, his TA. He was the adult here.
Shawna hadn’t seen them yet, and no matter what logic he tried to impose on his emotions, he hoped she wouldn’t.
Falona picked up on his shift in attention. “What?” She asked, following his gaze. When she saw Shawna, her “oh.” Had obvious implications.
“What?” He went for an overly innocent expression. He could feel it in the raise of his eyebrows. And then he did the next thing that popped into his head. “Shawna!” he called, waving her over.
Shawna’s eyebrows raised and her mouth opened. She did look very much like a student in that moment.
She took her order and then dragged her feet as she came to say hello.
He stood. “Shawna, this is Falona, a—”
“Friend.” Falona held out her hand.
“Hi. I’m a student at the university, Mr. Adam’s new TA.”
Falona’s eyebrows shot up, but she only said, “How wonderful. I bet that will be a great experience.”
“Oh yes, I’m very grateful. He’s highly regarded, and I expect to learn a lot from him this summer.” Next to Falona, Shawna did look young, like a student, grasping for attention and unsure of herself. But Dexter knew what awesome things circulated in her brain, and for some reason, he wanted her to make a better impression. “Sit with us.”
Falona’s mouth opened and Shawna tried to shake her head.
“I know we have to get back to our meeting, but just while you wait for your burger.”
Shawna looked from Falona to Dex and then said, “Okay.”
He scooted over so she could join him on his side of the booth. His interest level in the lunch shot up about five hundred notches. “I was intrigued with something Shawna wrote in her application. I’d be interested to hear what you think, Falona. She said we can learn from the triumphs of the past as well as from the mistakes.” He sat back as though proclaiming an epiphany. Falona’s small smile indicated she was not equally impressed.
“We often think we are superior to the past, and we view their successes as mediocre compared to our own, but they were hard won and deserve our respect.”
Shawna’s face glowed with pleasure.
He nodded to her, hoping she would add to the conversation.
“That’s what I notice happening,” Shawna said. “The Romans for example. So many of their modern advances were lost for a thousand years until someone re-invented things like running water and aqueducts.” She looked down. “That’s just a simple and obvious example.”
“But a good one, and since Falona here is a self-proclaimed data analysis girl, she might appreciate a more obvious example.”
Falona sat up taller in her seat. “But I can handle more obscure examples as well. I’m not totally devoid of historical knowledge.”
‘I’m pleased to hear it. See, Shawna, we might have a convert on our hands yet.”
She giggled and relaxed a bit, as he’d hoped she would. Her dimples came out, and the three freckles on her left
check crinkled up into her smile lines. Charming.
Falona shifted in her seat.
“Ah, but I do believe we are needed back at a board meeting.” He grimaced. “Not half as exciting as what we could discuss here.”
Shawna stood and stepped out of the way.
“Thank you for joining us.” Dex placed a hand on her back without thinking.
Falona smiled. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Yes, you too.”
They called Shawna’s number for her lunch, and Dex and Falona left the burger place. Falona had a disturbing pinch around her eyes, and Dex felt conflicted, though he wasn’t entirely sure why.
Chapter 4
Word spread about who had been accepted into the Italy study abroad, and the students created a Facebook group to talk about it.
A few of them were more drawn toward the research opportunities than the gelato and had set up a lunch meeting for just a few minutes from now. Shawna was excited.
No one knew she was the TA, and she didn’t even know what her responsibilities would be yet, so she moved forward as a regular student in the program and hoped to make good and lasting friendships while she was at it.
She waited in her favorite college hideout, Infinity Cha, a corner café which specialized in herbal teas. The place had an older vibe. She suspected it was a grad student hangout, which is what she would have been if cancer hadn’t delayed her plans. Everyone around her usually seemed straight out of high school. Some days felt more lonely than others.
A girl across the room squealed about something on her phone and then ran to another group to show them. Usually the place was more quiet. Two years off from school, really three, considering she was very ill for most of it, and now she was the oldest one in the place? The grad students seemed to be in a different place now, focused, often married. A place she should have been.
She blinked away the negativity. Should have, would have. Those kinds of thoughts would lead nowhere pleasant.
Her Billionaire Professor Page 2
