“Not a doctorate. A master’s,” Liam corrected as ifthatwas the part of Dean’s rant that was most important. “And that’s not official until she successfully defends and submits her final approved thesis.”
Dean remained silent while mentally sorting through all the extraneous bullshit Liam had spewed. Finally, one thing became clear from their conversation. Liam had way more information than Dean and he had for some time.
“You knew?” Dean asked Liam.
“Of course. I have her CV,” Liam answered matter-of-factly.
“What the fuck is a CV?” Dean asked on a frustrated exhale.
“Curriculum Vitae… it’s like a resume.”
Then why hadn’t Liam just said that in the first place? But that wasn’t the point.
“Fuck the CV. I’m asking if you knewshe was lying to me, abouteverything, why didn’t you tell me?”
Liam let out a sigh. “First of all, I never imagined youdidn’tknow she was a grad student. When I did figure that out, I questioned her. Asked why you didn’t know about her studies. That’s when she finally confessed the whole thing about your mom. Then and there I told her she needed to tell you the truth herself.”
“Yeah, well,Tessadidn’t tell me.” Dean scowled.
“Then how did you find out?” Liam frowned.
Fucking Juniper, that’s how. The witch who’d very obviously enjoyed every second of destroying Dean’s delusions about the woman he’d fallen for.
Dean kept the humiliating details to himself and said, “Mudville gossip chain.”
“Ahh. I really am sorry.”
“Yeah, so am I.” Dean heard the defeat in his own voice. He sounded pitiful. Unacceptable. He rallied and said, “It’s fine. Not the worst thing a woman has done to me. That’s for sure.”
“You want me to let her go?” Liam offered.
“From her job with you at the lab? No. Hell no.” As angry as he was with everyone—his mother, Juniper, Liam, and yes Tessa most of all—Dean still didn’t want to destroy her life. “I don’t want you to fire her. I’m good. Really.”
“All right,” Liam agreed.
“Look, I gotta go. My flight’s boarding,” Dean lied to get out of this humiliating call.
“All right. God’s speed, brother.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Dean disconnected the call and held on to one hope. That this connection would be on time. He needed to get back to work. Get his mind off Tessa and this whole mess.
He shoved the cell in his pocket and headed inside the USO to lick his wounds for the two hours until his flight actually did board.
“Hello!”
Blessing the ever-helpful USO volunteer. Of course she’d be here and bubblier than ever.Great.
He nodded a greeting as he stepped up to the desk.
“Leave over? Heading back to base?” Her tone and her phrasing sounded more like a statement than a question. Like she already knew it to be fact so why did she ask?
“Yup.” He pulled the sign-in form toward him without making eye contact.
Perhaps his curt one-word answer was a clue. Or maybe she’d read his damn mind. He didn’t know, but Blessing tempered her overly cheerful demeanor. She reached out and laid her hand over his. “Dean.”
He looked up, startled as much by the touch as by her use of his name, which he hadn’t even had time to write on the sign-in sheet yet.
“Sometimes good people do… questionable things. I find it’s always best to reserve judgment until I learn the reason.”
