course, just like I’ll bet Dr. Santangelo did. Isn’t that so, Professor?”
She couldn’t help smiling. “Could be.”
Dr. Oppenheimer looked at Luke. “Can we count on your participation on the committee as well? That’s an excellent suggestion, too. A real partnership.”
“Sure,” Luke said. “How about mentoring? I’d love to have some of the engineering students over there tutoring, helping out.”
“Nothing like teaching it to help you learn it yourself,” Cal said. “Don’t you think, Dr. Santangelo?”
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I do.”
“Yet another good idea,” Dr. Oppenheimer said, actually rubbing his hands together a little now. “I hope you’re going to sit in as well, Cal. I’d love to have you steering this.” And pumping more money into it , he didn’t need to say.
“I’ll come when I can,” Cal said. “Until spring work starts, anyway. Share a few ideas I’ve got going in. But don’t worry, I’ve got no plans to run the show. Give the money and go away. The ideal donor profile.”
“No, no.” The president laughed. “Not true at all. Look how much you’ve contributed right here.”
“Uh-huh.” Cal grinned. “Well, I’ll try to keep the . . . contributions coming. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the professor here had a few more insights she wanted to share with me.”
“Of course.” Another smile, another shake of hands all around, and Cal was shepherding Zoe across the room with a hand resting lightly on the small of her back, a hand she was aware of right through her jacket and blouse. Luke came along, too, although the little procession kept getting stopped along the way, because it seemed like Cal—and Luke, too—knew half the room.
“Phew,” Cal said when they reached the foyer. He gestured at the cloakroom, looked at Zoe. “Got a ticket?”
“I do.” Zoe pulled it from her pocket and handed it to him. “But wait a second,” she realized. “Maybe I didn’t want to leave.”
“Oh.” He looked genuinely taken aback, then grinned. “Yep. There I go again. Disregarding your agency, that what that’s called, Luke?”
“I think that’s the buzzword,” his brother said. “And yeah, I think that’s exactly what you just did. You want to go back inside, Zoe, talk to professors and have another fine beverage, you go right ahead. Just tell this arrogant SOB where he can shove his assumptions and head on back there.”
“Well,” she conceded, “as it happens, I’m ready to leave. But I’d rather have said so myself.”
“Got it,” Cal said. “See, Professor, I’m trainable.” He held up the ticket. “So . . . coat?”
She was going to do it. She was going to walk out of this building with him. And with his brother, of course, who was an educator, just like her. She tried to tell herself that that was why she was doing it, and she knew she was lying.
She made her decision. “Yes, please.”
ZOE’S LIST
The shock of cold that hit her as soon as they stepped outside the building brought her straight back to reality. No snow now, but it was freezing . Literally. She was never, ever going to get used to this.
“That pumpkin of yours somewhere in the lot, princess?” Cal asked.
“No,” she said, willing herself not to shiver. “My perfectly fine car is at my apartment. I walked to work.”
“Huh,” he said. “I would’ve thought you’d have been driving, being so safety conscious and all, but hey. Happy to drive you home. Or wherever. Because I know how you love to hit that ditch.”
He grinned, and she laughed. He always made her laugh, even when he was teasing her. It really wasn’t fair.
She’d been surprised, too, actually, that she’d felt safe walking. But Paradise did feel safe, even after dark, when she was walking through the busy campus, up the wide sidewalks of Maple Street with its line of, yes, maples, past the comfortable, historic houses with their expansive yards. Not many fences, not many
She couldn’t help smiling. “Could be.”
Dr. Oppenheimer looked at Luke. “Can we count on your participation on the committee as well? That’s an excellent suggestion, too. A real partnership.”
“Sure,” Luke said. “How about mentoring? I’d love to have some of the engineering students over there tutoring, helping out.”
“Nothing like teaching it to help you learn it yourself,” Cal said. “Don’t you think, Dr. Santangelo?”
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I do.”
“Yet another good idea,” Dr. Oppenheimer said, actually rubbing his hands together a little now. “I hope you’re going to sit in as well, Cal. I’d love to have you steering this.” And pumping more money into it , he didn’t need to say.
“I’ll come when I can,” Cal said. “Until spring work starts, anyway. Share a few ideas I’ve got going in. But don’t worry, I’ve got no plans to run the show. Give the money and go away. The ideal donor profile.”
“No, no.” The president laughed. “Not true at all. Look how much you’ve contributed right here.”
“Uh-huh.” Cal grinned. “Well, I’ll try to keep the . . . contributions coming. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the professor here had a few more insights she wanted to share with me.”
“Of course.” Another smile, another shake of hands all around, and Cal was shepherding Zoe across the room with a hand resting lightly on the small of her back, a hand she was aware of right through her jacket and blouse. Luke came along, too, although the little procession kept getting stopped along the way, because it seemed like Cal—and Luke, too—knew half the room.
“Phew,” Cal said when they reached the foyer. He gestured at the cloakroom, looked at Zoe. “Got a ticket?”
“I do.” Zoe pulled it from her pocket and handed it to him. “But wait a second,” she realized. “Maybe I didn’t want to leave.”
“Oh.” He looked genuinely taken aback, then grinned. “Yep. There I go again. Disregarding your agency, that what that’s called, Luke?”
“I think that’s the buzzword,” his brother said. “And yeah, I think that’s exactly what you just did. You want to go back inside, Zoe, talk to professors and have another fine beverage, you go right ahead. Just tell this arrogant SOB where he can shove his assumptions and head on back there.”
“Well,” she conceded, “as it happens, I’m ready to leave. But I’d rather have said so myself.”
“Got it,” Cal said. “See, Professor, I’m trainable.” He held up the ticket. “So . . . coat?”
She was going to do it. She was going to walk out of this building with him. And with his brother, of course, who was an educator, just like her. She tried to tell herself that that was why she was doing it, and she knew she was lying.
She made her decision. “Yes, please.”
ZOE’S LIST
The shock of cold that hit her as soon as they stepped outside the building brought her straight back to reality. No snow now, but it was freezing . Literally. She was never, ever going to get used to this.
“That pumpkin of yours somewhere in the lot, princess?” Cal asked.
“No,” she said, willing herself not to shiver. “My perfectly fine car is at my apartment. I walked to work.”
“Huh,” he said. “I would’ve thought you’d have been driving, being so safety conscious and all, but hey. Happy to drive you home. Or wherever. Because I know how you love to hit that ditch.”
He grinned, and she laughed. He always made her laugh, even when he was teasing her. It really wasn’t fair.
She’d been surprised, too, actually, that she’d felt safe walking. But Paradise did feel safe, even after dark, when she was walking through the busy campus, up the wide sidewalks of Maple Street with its line of, yes, maples, past the comfortable, historic houses with their expansive yards. Not many fences, not many
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