I snort a laugh, but he’s probably right. Not everyone can teach second semester calculus with his breezy attitude, but Ryan’s a genius. He got his PhD at the age of twenty-five, then decided to go into teaching because research would mess with his early-morning surf schedule.
Ryan waves at us with a hand full of dry erase markers. “Keep working on those factoring problems,” he says to Ellie, then switches his gaze to me. “I’ll see you later?”
“Yep.” I wave at him and turn back to my desk, but Ellie’s eyes are still on Ryan.
“He is so hot,” she says slowly. Her eyes snap back to me. “Seriously, you don’t see it?”
Of course I see it. I’d have to be blind not to see how hot he is. But that doesn’t mean there’s anything beyond friendship between us. So I just shrug a shoulder.
She sighs dreamily, then looks back at her work and picks up her pencil, writing some more numbers and variables.
My students really crack me up. This certainty that Ryan and I are more than friends is ridiculous.
We both got hired three years ago, a rare year where they needed two new full-time professors. These jobs are really hard to get—there are at least a hundred applicants, about twenty who get an interview, and only a few get the final meeting with the president of the college. The fact that I even got hired on my first attempt was a huge success, a life accomplishment I didn’t expect to happen for years. My parents were thrilled, and so was I. And then to be hired with someone who clicks with me on a personal level? The likelihood of that happening is…well, pretty improbable. And I’m a math professor. I can run the numbers.
But something romantic between us? Absolutely not. Not only do I have a boyfriend, but Ryan is…Ryan.Confident, self-assured, handsome. He’s even got a sweet relationship with his mom, in a mature, manly kind of way. There’s no way he’d even be interested in me.
That’s just silly.
CHAPTER 2
Ryan
Claire is goingto be the death of me.
I don’tthinkshe knows how I really feel about her. But that smile she just sent my way turns me into a puddle.
The first day we met, I knew I’d never meet anyone else like her. It was orientation day for all new faculty, and I was late (not surprising, I know). I slid into a seat in the back row next to my new buddy from the English department, Chase, and when we went around the room introducing ourselves, I couldn’t believe my luck at the perfect, gorgeous woman who would be working with me.
We spent time talking that day, and I thought the stars aligned. She’s everything I could have ever hoped for in a woman and more.
Obviously she’s intelligent. You don’t get a master’s in applied mathematics and snag an internship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories—yes,thatJPL, the one that’s part of NASA—without having a brilliant mind.
But add to that she’s gorgeous, with wavy auburn hair and grayish-green eyes, a light dusting of freckles, and the best sense of humor. Most people don’t get to see that side of her. But something about us clicks, and I love making her laugh.
Her students love her, too, but she doesn’t realize it. I see the way these boys who are fresh out of high school stammer and trip over their words around her. But she’s more focused on helping them learn math, and she’s incredible at it.
I sound like a total sap, but trust me, I’m not. I’m a strong, independent man.
Except when it comes to Claire.
But, Ryan! She has a boyfriend!
Yeah, yeah, I know. That’s why I haven’t done anything yet. Although it’s pretty clear she doesn’t have a lot of warm, fuzzy feelings about the guy. The few times I’ve met him, their relationship has looked a lot like a friendship—comfortable familiarity. And considering the way she complains about his lack of motivation and drive and the way he won’t move out of his parents’ house, I’m sure their days are numbered.
Except I thought that three years ago, when we started working here.
They’ve got to break up any day now. The “app genius,” as I like to call him, is hitting one dead end after another. Claire just needs to see how valuable she is, and how she doesn’t need to make everyone else happy. She thinks she’s happy—she says she is—but I know there’s more underneath the surface. She complains about her boyfriend and her parents interfering in her life. She’s always worried about her perception here at work, even though everyone loves her. If she’d just break out of the mold she’s created for herself, she’d realize there was more to happiness than living under others’ expectations.
So, in the meantime, I’ll solidify my position as Claire’s best friend. I’ve always been there for her, and when she FINALLY pulls the plug on that dead-end relationship, I’ll still be there.
Waiting.
After teachingmy Calculus 2 class, half-thinking about Claire the whole time, I head back to the offices. But instead of going to my cubicle, I go straight to Janet Chang’s office. She’s our dean and the head of the entire science and math division. Why am I here? Because I have a meeting scheduled with her and our math department chair, Christopher David.
And this is something I haven’t told Claire.
Because I have a feeling it’s not one of those good, attaboy meetings. It’s a warning.
