“Absolutely not. The dinner is done, as are all the tedious speeches. You have danced and smiled and been perfectly gracious.” Catching her hand again, Sebastian bowed once more and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“He’s right,” Daniel agreed and nuzzled her forehead. “I’ve already asked for the car to be brought around. It was good to see you, Sebastian.”
“And you, Daniel.” Family did not have to stand on ceremony.
“Are you staying in Los Angeles for longer than a day this time?” Alyx asked. “We would love to have you over—dinner one evening, perhaps?”
Sebastian hesitated. He’d intended to leave the next day, but he hadn’t alerted anyone to his plans, save for his security detail and pilot. “I am not terribly certain of my schedule.” Not a lie. “I actually asked Vidal earlier what city I was in.” Also, not a lie. “But I will call, and we’ll make arrangements.”
“Perfect.” Alyx surprised him for a third time when she brushed his cheek with a kiss and paused to whisper, “I meant what I said earlier. I want to be your friend. I’ve seen the look in your eyes before on other people. If I can help—at all—please,let me.” She squeezed his forearm once then allowed Daniel and their security team to escort her away.
He watched their exit silently and ran through his options. Switching gears, he glanced at Vidal. “I’m ready to go. Can you have security bring the car?”
“Of course, Your Highness. Destination?”
“The tower.” For the time being, he’d return to his suite at the Petersburg Tower. It would have been readied for him, since his appearance at the event was on his schedule. “One last circuit and we leave.”
“Absolutely, sir.” Vidal and the others fell into step as Sebastian glad-handed his way around the room. A prince had a duty to be seen. He must be remembered as engaged and available, at least while on public display. He’d perfected the part. It took nearly an hour, but he finally made it out and pulled his tie free as soon as the car doors closed.
Leaning his head back against the seat, he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket. The screen was dark, though when he unlocked it, no messages waited for him. It was after eleven in California, which meant after two in the morning on the East Coast. She taught an early class and the last thing she needed was to be woken in the middle of the night, but he wanted to hear her voice.
If he took an early flight, he could be there by afternoon—or he could head to the airport immediately and be outside her class when she finished teaching. The car shifted abruptly and Sebastian glanced up at his driver.
“Apologies, sir. We have a couple of tagalongs.” The driver explained and Sebastian sighed.
The press.
He couldn’t go to the airport. Saying nothing, he slid the phone back into his pocket. Tomorrow he would call Meredith and make everything right again.
She was upset by their lack of time together. He understood her position and owed her an apology, but it would be better to let her calm before he confronted her. Anger sparked her declaration that they were through. His chest tightened. With her rejection, she’d thrown a gauntlet down, one he would gladly pick up.
They were not over. He’d protected her—cherished her—for too long to accept any other outcome.
But still, the ache in his heart wasn’t assuaged. She’d never hung up on him before.
Never.
MEREDITH
Unsurprisingly, by nine-fifteen, Meredith Blake’s eight a.m. class on the elementary theory of numbers struggled to focus on the whiteboard where she’d scrawled several equations. Other professors made do with only punching in their time in these basic courses, but Meredith liked to challenge her students. If any of them could solve the equation by the end of the lecture period, she gave an automatic grade bump to the assignment of their choice.
Application, after all, was the goal of number theory. Pacing to the front of her lectern, she studied the glassy eyed students arrayed around the room. Normally, she’d go for a joke or a lighthearted story, but she felt like she was dragging worse than they were.
Gravity remained unaltered by physical events, yet depression and disappointment seemingly increased her mass. How else to explain the weight bearing down upon her? Maybeeveryone deserved a bit of a break. “Let’s put it this way.” She spoke in a clear tone and knew her voice carried all the way to the back row. With seventy plus students in these classes, projection was everything.
“Numbers are the basic building blocks of every single thing we do. We use numbers to predict the weather, to predict crime, to predict investments—even to predict winners. If you understand numbers and their applications, you have the most essential tools to success.” Pausing, she let them absorb the information. Then pointed to the equation on the board. “Has anyone solved this?”
Not a single hand rose. She forced a conciliatory smile, but instead of letting them off the hook, she said, “How many of youtriedto solve it?”
Only two hands raised.
Well, two out of seventy-three weren’t the worst statistics. “How many of you would have tried if I told you this formula will very accurately predict your chances of winning the lottery?”
Alertness sparked in her audience. Throw down a gauntlet, most people picked it up. Throw down the promise of money and those numbers increased. “I’ll give you to the end of the week to solve the equation and send me your answer.” But because she couldn’t resist trying to make them smile, she said, “Of course, if you win the lottery with it—I’m sure my free grade bump won’t be nearly as valuable, no matter how fun.”
Laughter erupted and she nodded, satisfied. “See you all next week.” Thumps of books, digital tablet covers snapping closed and the thud of feet on the stairs accompanied the students as they took advantage of their early release to rush out. All save Wes Keating and Rebecca Walsh—they headed straight for her. Holding up a hand, she stopped their questions before they could start.
“No, I didn’t offer any other assignments for extra credit. No, I won’t extend the deadline next week if you haven’t solved it. And unless blood and bone are showing, you better have your assignments turned in.” She raised her brows at their crestfallen expressions. “Any other questions?”
