“Well, that’s just adorable. You actually think that matters.”
Colin raked his fingers through his hair, jaw tight. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“You mean watching you throw your academic life together like a last-minute PowerPoint? Yes. I am.”
Joshua, still perched nearby, covered his grin with one hand, and noticing, Colin shot him an exasperated glare.
David kept going. “And don’t think Merritt will save you. He’ll show up to your first lecture just to sit in the back row with that smug little nod he does.”
Colin groaned. “Yeah, I’ve seen the nod. And he’salreadythreatening. Said something about ‘observing my technique.’”
David snorted. “Translation: he wants to see if you bomb or bring the house down. Either way, he’ll call it a learning opportunity.”
“David? Would you and Nate like to come over for dinner?”
“Absolutely! We’ll be there in ten minutes. Get your computer out! We’re gonna need it!”
And the line went dead.
Colin stared at the phone, his gaze accusatory.
Joshua nudged his shoulder. “Well. Dinner has officially morphed into a hostile takeover.”
Colin buried his head in his arms. “God help me.”
“Hey,youinvited them!”
David and Nate arrived fifteen minutes later, and David barely drew breath before launching into high gear. He pointed at the laptop on the coffee table and barked, “Colin, pull up your CV. We’re rewriting it tonight.” He dropped onto the couch beside Colin, who glared at him.
“You mean,you’rerewriting it while I sit here regretting my life choices?”
David scoffed and waggled his fingers at the screen. “Let’s make this look like a legal résumé and not something scribbled on the back of a cocktail napkin.”
“I hate you.”
“Not as much as you’ll hate Compliance if you screw this up.”
“I made cookies,” Joshua called from the kitchen.
“Oooo,” Nate cooed, already heading toward the smell. “Excellent. Because I care not at all about this chaos in the living room.”
David snapped his fingers. “Nate—bring me cookies. This is going to take two hours and a chunk of my soul. I need the sugar high.”
“You got it, sweetums!” Nate called.
David scrolled through Colin’s ancient CV and snorted. “OK, first of all, this still says ‘Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney.’ What are you, stuck in 2020?”
Colin leaned back. “I’ve been a little busy prosecuting actual criminals. And whether you know it or not, I AM an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney!”
“You’re aSeniorAssistant Commonwealth’s Attorney! Plus, you’ve taught CLEs, led a statewide task force on evidence handling, and prosecuted Lexi Moreno. None of that’s in here. It’s like watching a Marvel movie with all the Hulk scenes cut out.” He tapped a line on the screen. “Also, where’s your Title IX liaison work from your campus cop days?”
Colin blinked. “You want me to put that in?”
“Yes! You spent ten years defusing frat fights and guiding scared freshmen to the counseling office. That’s community policing. That’s prevention. That’s credibility.”
Colin pulled the computer in front of him and typed furiously, muttering as he worked.
“Hey!” Joshua said from behind him. “I get an honorable mention! I was his Title IX coordinator! He didn’t make a move without me!”
