Redemption(9)

“Sure. Let me grab my stuff, and I’ll meet you downstairs.” I didn’t bother to lock my office. There was nothing personal in it for anyone to steal, and the computer had so many passwords to get in to anything of importance, a hacker would still be working on it by the time we returned.

Rob and I made our way to the cafeteria, chatting about nonsense as we went—classes, students. I’d managed to find my way in with the student body and had become one of the favored teachers. It felt good to have people excited to be in my classes, asking me to join activities around campus, stopping me to say hello in the Commons. For the first time in a few years, I felt like I was living—even if it was a lie. The beat of my heart brought life, I felt the sunshine again, and the sounds of the campus brought music to my ears.

“Hey, Dr. Jackson!” A group of girls from my theory class waved their hello as Rob and I proceeded into the dining hall.

“I hear great things from the students, Lissa. They’re enamored with you.”

“They’re great kids.” I wasn’t much older than most of them which made it easier to relate to me, but their love of music was what brought us all together.

I went to the salad bar while Rob braved the hot menu items before we settled at a table near the windows looking out at the pond. Every time I came near the water on campus, I’d stare at the bell tower and think about the lives it had taken—it may have been urban legend, but those stories helped me connect in some weird way. It stood isolated from the rest of the campus, people loved to look at it, but far too many had succumbed to its deadly beauty. There had been couples married in front of it, the lake around it protected it, but in the end—it stood alone, weathered by time and closed off to protect the students from further harm.

“Have you ever been up in the tower?”

Startled, I turned to face my lunch companion. “No. I thought it was closed off.”

“There are ways around everything.” He took a bite of the burger he’d bought off the line. “The view is breathtaking and serene. We’ll have to go up sometime.”

I nodded my agreement as I stared across Swan Lake.

“You’re awfully distracted today. Anything on your mind?” Before I could answer, he spoke again. “Oh, I almost forgot. Ya-sang Min is coming to the Peace Center. The school got a handful of tickets. Would you like to go?”

Staring at him, I blinked hard contemplating his question. “Like a date? Or take students?” Eloquence was not my forte.

He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his gaze. The bottom of his tooth peeked out to snag a bit of his lip in hesitation. “I guess I thought we could go together.”

Rob wasn’t a shy man, but his indecision, or sheer inability to simply ask me out on a date, left me knowing it was good he never had. Men who hesitate are lost. I’d kill to see Ya-sang Min, but I wasn’t willing to risk the only friend I had on campus when things didn’t go the way he was leaning.

“I’m flattered Rob, but you know I’m seeing someone.”

His head bobbed, and he cast his eyes toward his food. “You’re going to pass up seeing the cello prodigy?”

The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him. “Rob, I wouldn’t do anything to risk our friendship. You’re the only person I’m friends with, not just on campus, but in Greenville as a whole. Even Ya-sang Min isn’t worth sacrificing that.” I touched his hand with mine before he finally met my eyes.

“He’s a lucky guy, Liss.”

“It’s not that serious. I just can’t do more than one man at a time. It’s exhausting.” My eyes rolled in an overly exasperated expression to make him laugh.

“You about done? I need to get back to my office to finish grading papers I promised I’d give back in my next lecture.”

I stared at my half-eaten salad knowing I wouldn’t eat anymore. Things had gotten awkward, and it was best just to head back. “Yeah.”

We threw away what remained before trekking back across campus. I waved at the same group of girls I’d seen coming in. Just as we arrived at the music hall, I heard what I assumed was my name called out.

“Penny.” It was the voice I recognized more than the name.

I turned while Rob stood holding the door open. Dan came jogging up to us and reached out to cup my jaw before planting a kiss on my opposite cheekbone. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

“Hoping I could catch you for a late lunch.”

I pointed toward Rob, who was now gawking instead of just staring. “We just got back.” I cleared my throat. “Oh, I’m sorry, Dan Hadley this is Rob McKetry, the Dean of the Music Department.”

Rob eyed Dan with suspicion before extending his hand. “Nice to meet you, Dan. Lissa has told me a lot about you.” He turned to me. “I’m going up. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Seems like a nice guy.” The way the words came out of his mouth teetered on jealousy, but I couldn’t imagine Dan having a green bone in his body. Hell, he wouldn’t need to. I saw how women looked at him when we went out, and I wasn’t foolish enough to believe he didn’t have a cell phone full of others who’d gladly meet up with him. “Since you just had lunch, does that mean you have a class soon?”

I glanced at my watch. “I have about thirty minutes before I need to leave for my next lecture. Are you off the rest of the afternoon?”