“Nah, I need to take Gracie for a walk, then I need to get to school. I have an appointment with Dr. Tate today to discuss my paper.”
“How’s Natalie doing?” she asked. “How is your class going?”
“Um, fine,” I lied, focusing on tying my shoes. I’d learned long ago to never try to lie to my parents’ faces. It never went well. “Bran and Anna will be stopping by this evening to pick Gracie up.”
Gracie’s ears perked up when she heard the names of her owners. I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready to have kids, but I’d certainly love a dog like Gracie.
“Here, take this,” Mama K said, taking the eggs and bacon she had just cooked and quickly making a breakfast sandwich out of it.
“That’s yours, Mama, I can get something—”
“Nonsense,mijo! I was planning on making more anyways. Plus, I don’t want you to be late for your appointment with Natalie!” She smiled at me and patted my cheek. “You can walk Gracie, and eat your breakfast, too!”
“Thanks, Mama,” I said, smiling at her. “You’re a lifesaver!”
“Hah! I don’t know about that, but I might be a stomach saver! I could hear that belly growling all the way over here!”
I laughed and tugged gently on Gracie’s leash, and out we went.
The sun was just coming up over the horizon, but it was already warm out. We’d had an unseasonably warm summer. Akronites weren’t used to one hundred-degree temperatures, but that’s what we’d been having lately. I waved to some of the neighbors as Gracie and I made our rounds. Being the diligent pet sitter that I was, I cleaned up after her and then deposited everything into the trashcan before making my way back into the house.
I got Gracie settled in her kennel, then headed to school. I’d been attending the University of Akron for two years now, and I was getting antsy. I needed to decide soon about school. My official major at present was engineering, but I wasn’t sure anymore that I really wanted to pursue it.
I loved numbers, but I’d been struggling with the summer session of differential equations, and for an engineering degree I wouldneedto pass the class. Even worse, the class was taught by my academic advisor, Dr. Natalie Tate. My moms had known Natalie for years, and she had taken me on as her advisee when I joined the university. Every time I’d get a paper back from her with a low grade, I’d see that disappointed look in her eyes, or hear a slight sigh as she handed out the graded assignments. I was failing her class, and I didn’t have a clue how to fix it.
I entered the academic hall a little behind schedule and took the stairs two at a time until I reached her floor. The long hallways of the new building positively glowed and were surprisingly quiet. The engineering and polymer science building had been a huge feather in the university’s cap, and it had opened just the year before, but since it was summer session, not many people were around. Plus, it was only about seven thirty. No one wanted to be up this early in the summer.
I made my way down the halls to her office and knocked quietly. I heard her voice telling me to come in, so I opened the door and entered. Dr. Tate was seated behind her desk and looked up at me from the paper she was reading. The office was carpeted—not many of the other professor’s offices were—and filled with mahogany furniture. It positively glowed in the mid-morning light, and I couldn’t help but appreciate the picture of academia she presented.
Natalie Tate was what used to be referred to as a “well-preserved” woman. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the amount of plastic surgery she had invested in over the years, but it was obvious she was struggling to remain youthful. Perhapstoomuch so, in my opinion. Of course, my opinion didn’t count, just hers, and maybe her husband’s. Daniel Tate worked at the university as well, but he was an administrator or something. I didn’t know him very well, because he hardly ever came to the cookouts or holiday events.
While I thought wrinkles and silver hair added personality to a woman’s face, it wasn’t as if I cared if she had bags under her eyes and wrinkles to her knees.Womenjust weren’t my type.
“Kaine Devereaux! Good to see you!” she said, standing and offering her hand.
“Dr. Tate,” I acknowledged nervously. I shook her hand and took a seat when she gestured toward the two chairs strategically aligned in front of her desk.
“So how are your parents?” she asked as she leaned toward me, her long blonde hair in loose waves around her face.
“Good!” I answered. “Getting ready to open a new dojo in Brimfield, so keeping busy with that.”
“Ah! Yes, that area is growing significantly, I hear. How is the rest of your family? All of you were so sweet when you were little, especially you boys. I remember you and your sister playing together in the back yard…” she sighed. “So adorable.”
“The sibs are doing well,” I said. “Lee is still recovering from Afghanistan. Weaver has about a year and a half left on her enlistment. Bishop is finishing school this year, and the twins are getting ready to launch their next week.”
“Yes, I seem to recall that. ‘Twin Peeks’ isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” I answered.
“Cute play on the name. I seem to remember your parents showing me the bookstore logo. It was the twins, sharing a comic book, right?” she questioned.
“Yes, ma’am,” I answered. “They based it on a picture I took of Sonny and Hicks when they were kids.”
A funny look seemed to cross her face as I spoke.
“‘Ma’am?’ Am Ireallyold enough to be a ‘ma’am’ now, Kaine?” she teased, sitting up straight in her chair. “Surely, at least here in my office, you can call me Natalie.”
I squirmed slightly in my chair. This was one thing Ididn’tlike about having Dr. Tate as an advisor. She had been treating me…differentlythis summer. It was subtle, nothing I could really put my finger on, exactly, just… something. When she looked at me, it felt almost like she was sizing me up for a meal. It made me uncomfortable, but I couldn’t say exactly why.
