“Goodnight, Gideon.”
He pulled on the door handle. “Goodnight, Megs.”
Gideon wokethe next morning feeling like he’d slept in a matchbox. That or chewed through a pound of carrots in his sleep. He rubbed his jaw and rolled out his neck then checked his phone. There still wasn’t a message from Matt.Disappointing.He’d hoped to hear back instantly after sending Megs’ audition to him.
If Matt didn’t see that she was right for this book, he was deluded. Gideon’s voice wasn’t terrible to listen to, but Megs had the background. When she voiced her characters, Gideon forgot he was listening to a piece of fiction. That was the highest compliment he could think of.
Gideon made a quick trip to the gym downstairs, then showered and dressed for his ten o’clock class. He’d finally gotten an email from his department head, and she said she could meet with him briefly before she took her lunch at noon. He still didn’t know what hewas going to say or how he’d explain the situation.
He still wasn’t convinced he hadn’t done something wrong, even though on paper he couldn’t think of a rule he’d broken knowingly. He only knew that he couldn’t judge Megs’ work with the way he felt about her now. He’d have to trust his superior with the rest.
The world glittered with frost when he walked out to his car. The moisture made the roads slick, but it was almost worth it to live in a magical version of the world for a few hours before the sun melted the ice crystals.
Gideon wasn’t ready for winter, but for once he felt like he’d actually experienced fall. He had Matt to thank for that. Hiking in the burnt yellows and oranges and drinking cider by an open fire had elevated his life, even if it was more effort to make it happen. He wondered what else he was missing out on because he’d gotten out of the habit of looking past his normal routine.
He parked in his usual spot, taught his class, and then had forty minutes before he needed to walk down the hall for his meeting. Gideon sat at his desk and opened his teacher portal. He hadn’t finished putting in his notes for the midterms, but he did have them all written up at this point. He pulled up his portal and began copying and pasting.
Though he had feedback for Megs, he wasn’t going to enter it. That would be part of his upcoming meeting. He pulled out a protein bar and took a bite, then continued down the rows. Erik was going to be thrilled with his grade. Almost ten points higher than when he’d taken this class for the first time.
Gideon was almost finished with his bar when he realized he’d reached the end of his student list. He frowned. None of the rows were missing midterm grades, which didn’t make any sense. He hadn’t entered in any feedback for Megs.
He changed the filters and scrolled through his student list. Then, he started again at the top. When he reached the bottom a second time, his mouth went dry.
No Megs.Her name and record had been removed from his student roster.
Twenty-Four
Gideon scanned the screen.The last time he’d stared this hard, he’d been lookingatMegs’ name, hoping it would disappear. Now, he couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t be showing up.
He picked up his phone and dialed the admin office. A secretary answered.
“Hi, this is Professor Adams. There’s a student in my Intro to Recording class who isn’t showing up on my student list. Could you take a look for me?”
“Of course. What’s the name?”
“Megs DeBosse.”
The woman’s fingers clicked over keys. “All right, I’m seeing a Megs Debosse, but it looks like that student profile has been deactivated.”
Deactivated? “What does that mean?”
“Well, let me see . . . it looks like . . . yes. There’s been a disciplinary decision made. Ms. DeBosse has been expelled from Champlain.”
Gideon sucked in a breath. The conversation he’d had with the Title Nine coordinator flooded his mind, and he scrolled back through his studentlist. Jennifer was still there. “Okay, thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, professor. Anything else I can help you with?”
“No, that’s it. Thanks again.” He set his phone on the counter, trying to connect the dots. Jennifer had left class early before he got the call, letting him know that his review had been canceled. The coordinator said that the student listed on the complaint had come in and admitted to harassment.
But it didn’t make sense. The complaint was filed before Megs kissed him. Gideon packed up his laptop and stalked into the hall, then hurried to Donna’s office. Her door was propped open, so he knocked and pushed in.
“Professor Adams, what can I do for you?” She looked up from a book. A fork sat in a rice bowl next to her.
“Did you file a complaint against me? After you approached me about being in the recording studio with my female student?”
Donna adjusted her glasses. “No, Gideon, I didn’t file a complaint, though I still think—”
“Thank you.” Gideon bolted back down the hall. If Donna didn’t file the complaint, then who did? It didn’t matter at this point. Whatever had been said in that office, Megs had been the one to go in and admit fault.Don’t pretend I didn’t do anything.She felt responsible. That was the only thing that made sense.
