CHAPTER 1
Claire
I love Monday mornings.
I know, I know—I’m a weirdo.
But there’s nothing better than walking into the math department office of Coastal Vista Community College at 8:00 a.m. in early February with a steaming hazelnut white chocolate latte and a day full of possibilities ahead of me.
Today, I even beat the administrative assistants, which means I’ve had the office to myself—just me, my trusty to-do list, and a blissful couple of hours of uninterrupted productivity.
Now that it’s ten in the morning, I’m waiting for my student, Ellie. She’s in my business calculus course, but she’s missing some of the fundamental algebra skills required for the class. Unfortunately, she’s not alone. The state cut our basic algebra classes two years ago, and I’ve noticed the huge difference in our students’ ability to keep up. So I’ve been setting aside extra time for Ellie and some other students to come get help so we can fill in the gaps. But, as usual, she’s not here on time, so I take the opportunity to look up lame math jokes. When I find the perfect one, I write it on a bright pink Post-it note.
What’s a surfer’s favorite function? A sine wave!
I chuckle to myself as I peel it off the stack and walk across the aisle to Ryan’s computer. Ryan Matthews, my best friend and fellow math professor, will love this one.
“Hey, Professor Beaumont!” Ellie’s cheerful voice sounds behind me. “Aren’t you in the wrong cubicle?”
“Oh, hey Ellie.” I turn and gesture to my office. “I was just leaving something for Professor Matthews.”
She grins widely. “He’s so cute. Are you guys together?”
“Oh, uh, no,” I stammer. “We’re just friends. I have a boyfriend.”
She arches a brow at me.
“Seriously,” I say. “Just friends.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know how you can just be friends with someone who looks like him.”
I guide her into my cubicle. “Okay, let’s talk about math!” This conversation ishighlyinappropriate for me to have with a student. Even if I did think Ryan was cute, with that brown hair that waves across his forehead and striking blue eyes, I’d never admit it to a student. Besides, I really do have a boyfriend.
“What are we working on today?” I ask, sinking into my seat.
Ellie plops into the plastic chair I have for students. “Factoring. I still can’t figure out how to get the answer when there’s a number in the front.”
“Right. Okay, let’s try a few examples together.” I write down some problems for her, and we spend the next fifteen minutes going painstakingly slow through the process. She’s definitely improving, but it feels like we’re moving at a snail’s pace.
My phone buzzes on the desk, and instinctively my eyes flick over to it.
“You can check your phone. I need a break.” Ellie sits back in her chair and folds her arms behind her head.
“Thanks.” I pick up my phone and see a text from my boyfriend, Zach.
Zach
Baseball game this Sunday?
I type a quick text back.
Me
I don’t know. I was kind of hoping for a chill weekend. I don’t really want to be around so many people.
Zach
Come on, my uncle got us free tickets. Our parents already said yes.
