Still nothing but bored expressions on their faces.
Marin did her best to shrug it off and move forward. “Now, let’s take a look at the syllabus for this semester.” She clicked a button on her laptop, relieved when the correct slide appeared on the screen behind her. She considered herself good with technology, but it was Murphy’s Law that something would go wrong with the presentation on her first day at a new job with a room full of students currently forming their first impressions of her.
An hour and fifteen minutes later, Marin sent them on their way, feeling exhausted but hopeful. Sure, the students hadn’t been as livelyas she might have liked, but still, she’d enjoyed herself. Her corporate job had begun to bore her to tears. She’d dreaded going to work every morning. If today was any indication, she wouldn’t have a boring day as a college professor. If only she could figure out how to get her students more engaged ...
“Professor Easterly?”
She looked up at the sound of her name, glad she hadn’t yet given in to the urge to rub at the ache in her right thigh. Standing around in heels—even low ones—had been a foolishly vain decision. She smiled at the young man in front of her. “Yes. Noah, right?”
“Yeah. Um, I wanted to talk to you about career options like you mentioned, but I looked at your office hours in the portal, and I’m not on campus on Tuesdays. I’m a commuter. I help my mom on our family farm when I’m not in class ... um. You don’t need to know that.” He looked uncomfortable. “I was wondering if there’s another time you’re available?”
“Sure, Noah. We can definitely find a time that works.” She pulled up the shared office-availability form on her phone. “Would you be able to meet me on Thursday before this class? Say one thirty?”
His face brightened. “Yeah, that would work. Thanks so much, Professor Easterly.”
“You’re very welcome. I’ll see you then.”
She watched until he’d left the classroom, feeling a hundred times better about the class now. For a minute there, she was afraid she’d bombed on her first day as a professor, but she’d made an impression on Noah, and that was a win.
Marin shifted her weight to her left leg. Flats. Maybe even orthopedic ones. She rolled her eyes at herself, but she’d decided on the day she finally went home from the hospital that she’d never again feel anything about her body other than gratitude. She could live with the aches, pains, and scars. Hell, she celebrated them because she wasalive.
She tucked her laptop into her briefcase, then bundled up in her coat for the walk back to her car. She had just enough time to go home and change before her next appointment.
Because Marin was about to meet a litter of puppies, and she couldn’t fucking wait.
“Leave your shoes at the door, please.” A harried-looking woman about Marin’s age stood before her in a long-sleeved shirt and leggings. She’d introduced herself as Susan, the puppies’ foster mom. “They haven’t had their vaccines yet, so they could be vulnerable to germs you track in.”
“Of course.” Obediently, Marin took off her sneakers and left them by the door. Already, she could hear puppy sounds, yips and squeals and the scuffling of paws.
“They’re five weeks old right now,” Susan told her. “So they won’t be ready to go home for about three more weeks.”
“That’s fine. I’ll need time to buy supplies and learn how to care for a puppy.”
Susan gave Marin a guarded look. “You haven’t had a puppy before?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never had a dog, but I’ve always wanted one. I’m recently divorced and looking for a new companion.” She paused, feeling an uncharacteristic need to explain herself. “I’m a statistician, so I assure you I know how to conduct research, and I plan to learn everything I need to know about puppies.”
“Good, because puppies are alotof work, and I want to make sure they’re all going to great homes,” Susan said. “You’d be surprised how many people fall in love with them when they’re tiny and cute and then return them to the shelter in a few months when they’ve turned into big out-of-control teenagers.”
“That won’t be me,” Marin assured her. “I’m one hundred percent committed to having a dog, and I’m prepared for the rough spots. I take my responsibilities seriously.”
Susan smiled. “Okay, come and meet them. Their mom is a black lab, but that’s all we know about their pedigree. She was rescued from a house fire shortly before she gave birth, and her family couldn’t afford her care, so they surrendered her. Anyway, we gave the puppies fire-themed names.”
“That’s adorable,” Marin said, “but is their mom okay? Was she injured in the fire?”
“Only minor injuries, thank goodness. A few small burns and scorched foot pads. She’s fully recovered and already has her forever home lined up, just as soon as they’re weaned. She’s in here.” Susan led her into the living room, where a black dog waited, tail wagging. “This is mama Raven.”
“Hi, Raven,” Marin said, unsure how she was supposed to greet the dog. She really did have a lot to learn.
Susan kept walking, leaving Raven in the living room. They entered the kitchen, which had been blocked off with a baby gate. “And here are her puppies. There are six, and four of them are already spoken for. Do you want to know which ones are still available, or do you want to meet them first?”
“Um, I think I’d like to spend a minute getting to know them first.”
Susan nodded. “Why don’t you go on in? Just grab a toy and interact with them. Be gentle, though. Remember they’re just babies.”
“Of course.” Marin fumbled with the baby gate before she figured out how to open the latch. As she stepped through the gate, she was immediately surrounded by puppies. Several of them bounced against her legs. They were mostly black, except for one honey-brown puppy, and several had white markings. “What are their names?”
“Spark, Blaze, Smokey, Ember, Ash, and Cinder.”
