Plan by Linda; Lyle

Stanford.” Randy replied, shaking his head. “She was one of the people I talked to about the Center. At the time, she didn’t seem particularly interested.”
    â€œWell, something has gotten her interest, and we don’t have any time to lose. Will you help me?” Rachel asked. He looked into her pleading eyes and knew there was only one answer.
    â€œOf course I will. We’ll get on it right after my last class. We can work on it at my place.”
    â€œGreat. I’ll meet you here after class.” Her smile lit up the room. She squeezed his arm. “Thank you.” Then she jumped up and sprinted back down the hall.
    He knew he should stay away from her, but he couldn’t say no to her. She needed him right now, and that was reason enough. In a few weeks, the university would be making its final decisions regarding the satellite school. After that, all he would have of Rachel would be memories.
    Time seemed to move slowly for Randy the rest of the day. Finally, class was over and he could get back to Rachel. He found her pacing in front of his office like a caged cat.
    â€œI guess I don’t have to ask if you’re ready to go.” He expected a smile or a laugh, but not a look of pure panic. “Hey, it’s going to be all right.” Randy took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “We can do this. But if we don’t, we’re just back to where we were yesterday.”
    When she only shrugged, he opened his office and drew her inside and closed the door. With one smooth move he pulled her into his arms, nestling her head against his shoulder. He stroked her hair gently with one hand, and held her firmly with the other. It felt so right to hold her. She snuggled against him and buried her head deeper into his shoulder. He held on for a few moments, wanting to ease her fears. How could something feel so right and be wrong?
    She pulled back and looked up at him with those eyes. He felt like he was being sucked under. Before he could think about it, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. When she responded, he kissed her thoroughly. He wasn’t sure how long they stood embracing, but a sudden knock sent them to separate corners. Gathering his senses about him, he took care of the student waiting outside, and then motioned for Rachel to follow.
    â€œLet’s go. We have a lot of work to do.”
❧
    In her own car, Rachel followed Randy’s sedan into the driveway. All the way over she had replayed the scene in his office. She shivered with pleasure. He hadn’t been all hands and groping. It had been romantic and sweet. She was surprised at the way she had responded. She had never felt that way before. His touch had left her breathless and weak-kneed. She hugged herself as she waited for Randy to open the door. He held the door for her, but he seemed to be standing as far away from her as possible. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she walked past into the foyer.
    â€œWhy don’t we work at the kitchen table? It’s probably the only flat, clean surface in the house.” She thought perhaps he was joking, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. He pulled out a chair for her and then moved to the opposite side of the table.
    â€œHow should we start this?” Rachel asked. She threw her hands up in the air and scrunched her shoulders in puzzlement.
    â€œWhy don’t we start with dinner? I’ll call in our order. The usual?” he asked.
    She nodded her head in agreement. Watching the way he jumped up and went into the other room, it seemed as if he couldn’t wait to get away from her. What was wrong with him? She heard the phone ring before he called the restaurant. It was obviously a student with a problem. Not many teachers took the time to talk with students at home. Figuring he would be busy for several minutes and too fidgety to sit still, she decided to see how the bedroom was coming. He