Why did Michelle ruin every good thing in her life?
She was halfway out the door at this point and at a complete loss for words while Audrey stared at her with confusion etched between her eyebrows. Michelle exhaled, smoothing her hands over her blazer to calm herself.
“Are you okay?” Audrey asked again.
Michelle had no good answer for that question. Clearly, she wasnotokay, but that was beside the point. More importantly, she wasn’t about to let anything derail a potential friendship with Audrey, not when she’d finally found someone she connected with on an intellectual level. Until their conversation on Friday night, Michelle hadn’t realized how absolutelystarvedshe’d been for that kind of connection.
“Yes, sorry,” she rasped, not having noticed how dry her throat had become until she tried to speak. She turned her head, coughing into her elbow. Then she cleared her throat, relieved to have stumbled across an excuse for her bizarre behavior. “I had a tickle in my throat and didn’t want to cough on you.”
Audrey gave her a sympathetic look. “Your throat gets so dry after speaking in front of a class for a few hours, doesn’t it? I hadn’t expected that.”
“Yes, I always carry water with me.” Michelle coughed again. “And, you know, my afternoon tea ...”
“The infamous afternoon tea.” Audrey was grinning now.
Michelle just kept embarrassing herself in front of this woman, and yet simultaneously, she felt at ease. Something about Audrey kept drawing her back in.
“It doesn’t keep you up?” Audrey asked. “Drinking tea so late in the day? I can’t have caffeine past lunchtime, or I’ll be tossing and turning half the night.”
“Ah, but I switch to herbal blends after lunch. No caffeine. I just enjoy a hot cup of tea while I work in my office.”
“Very British of you,” Audrey commented, still grinning.
“I do start the day with coffee, I’ll have you know.” Michelle was surprised to realize she was smiling too. All this talk of tea had made her realize how thirsty she was, though. Like Audrey had said, lecturing left her parched.
Audrey leaned against the edge of her desk. “I’m learning so much about you right now.”
Michelle cleared her throat. “Speaking of tea, I’d better go start some before I cough all over your office.” She glanced at Audrey as she picked up her briefcase. “Would ... would you like a cup? I’ve got a nice herbal lemon blend I’ve been enjoying this week.”
Audrey straightened, and her expression reminded Michelle of the way Audrey used to look at her when Michelle was her professor. She’d appreciated the admiration then, but now ... Michelle wanted to steer them onto common ground. Colleagues. Friends. Two women who enjoyed stimulating conversations about female artists.
“I’d love a cup,” Audrey said.
“Perfect. Come on over, and I’ll get the kettle going.”
Chapter Eight
Audrey tapped her knuckles against Michelle’s open office door. “Knock, knock.”
Michelle looked up from her laptop, lips quirking in the little smile that had become Audrey’s new favorite thing. It made her stomach swoop and her cheeks heat, but she wasn’t here to dwell on her rapidly blossoming feelings for Michelle. Over the last two weeks, they had taken some big steps toward friendship, and Michelle seemed as pleased about it as Audrey, who was pretty damn pleased.
“Don’t you have class soon?” Michelle stared at her out of those black-rimmed glasses that sent Audrey’s hormones into a tailspin every time she wore them.
“I do. I’m about to head over, but I wanted to give you this first.” She held out the box she’d brought with her to work today as butterflies danced in her stomach. She’d spent a lot of time working on this, and suddenly, she was afraid of Michelle’s reaction to the gift. She was so hard to read sometimes ...
Michelle eyed the box without taking it. “What is that?”
“I made you a little something.” She shrugged, setting the box on Michelle’s desk.
Michelle took off her glasses and picked up the gift, her cheeks noticeably pink. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“It’s something I do for my friends,” Audrey said.
Michelle lifted the flap on the box, revealing the teacup nestled inside. “Oh.”
Audrey sank into a guest chair, watching as Michelle lifted the teacup out of the box. It was etched in the style Michelle had seemed to like on the vase in Audrey’s office last week. She had gone back and forth on colors, ultimately deciding on an ombre shade that started out a soft rose near the rim of the cup and darkened to a deep maroon at the bottom.
“It’s beautiful.” Michelle’s tone was reverent, and it made Audrey’s stomach quiver. “Stunning, and the color ...” She traced a fingertip over the rose-petal pattern Audrey had etched into its surface. “I love it.”
