That was a complicated question. “He was the only one who was worried about me.” In the time since he’d come to Seacroft, the time he’d spent recovering, talking to doctors and finding a way back to himself again, Martin hadn’t heard from a single one of his colleagues at Mount Garner.
“And this—” Seb motioned at the store around them. “Working here is, what? Penance? Therapy?”
“Baby steps. The doctors and Brian and I, we agreed that I should take things slow. Stay somewhere familiar with a support system. Find jobs that were in my comfort zone. And Seacroft isn’t exactly an employment hub sohere I am.” Also, if he stayed in academia, the stain of what happened would follow him everywhere. The scandal hadn’t reached the public, but it was known in his small professional circles. Anyone who saw Mount Garner on his CV would ask questions, and Martin didn’t want to face them.
“It’s my fault,” he sighed. “I should have told someone years ago, but I was afraid what it would—”
“Why should you do them any favors? I don’t see that they’ve done anything for you.”
“But maybe if I’d—”
“Shh.” Seb leaned across the space to clasp Martin’s shoulders. He squeezed him gently, and Martin blinked, shaking off the guilt starting to swallow him. “It wasn’t your fault. They closed ranks, and you got left on the outside. You weren’t the first, and you won’t be the last. It’s how the system works.”
They gazed at each other. Seb’s eyes were dark, his mouth set in a determined line. He looked ready for battle, but this time, he would be fighting on Martin’s side.
Penny knew what she was talking about.
Martin took one of Seb’s hands in his, feeling the strong warmth against his skin.
“Thanks,” he said.
“Fuck ‘em. They don’t know what they lost. You can join the land of misfit toys with me and Cassidy. You’ll like it here.”
Cling together, swing together. It was the best offer Martin had heard in a while.
