Glancing around guiltily, her focus landed on the screen behind her teacher as she tried to ascertain what he was asking about.
“What about you, Miss Malmon?”Pine paused, his attention drilling into her until her cheeks erupted in red, embarrassed heat.“Do you have something you’d like to add?”
“No, thank you.”Her gaze fell to her virtually empty page, panic spiraling in her belly.She had a good track record with Pine, but staring into space with nothing intelligent to say wasn’t going to increase her chances of staying on his good side; a place she wanted to be if he was finally going to agree to supervise her thesis.“I was just thinking about what you’ve said.”
“Then, do share your thoughts.”Pine’s hands rose to his hips.“You usually have such interesting comments to make, Kristina.I’m sure we’d all like to hear them.”
“Honestly, sir, I was a little confused by your last point.”She sensed the weight of other students’ stares on her and hoped her face wasn’t flaming too brightly and giving away her culpability.The heat burning there, though, suggested otherwise.“Would you mind going over it again?”
She held her breath, hoping her puzzled ruse would prevail, and for a couple of excruciating seconds, Pine made her wait, as though he knew the entire performance was feigned.Even as he replied, his countenance was knowing, conveying a man who’d heard all the excuses a hundred times.
“Certainly.”The tiny twitch in his eyebrow confirmed he hadn’t fallen for her ploy.She’d been in his class for too long for him to believe she didn’t understand the content.He had, after all, told her himself that she was one of the brightest students in his class.Leaving her with that realization, his shrewd focus rose to take in the rest of the group.“Does anyone else require clarification?”
Relief reverberated through her when at least a handful of other hands rose in the lecture hall.There was relative safety in those numbers.
“Okay.”Pine nodded.“Let’s go from the last slide, and this time, may I reiterate how important it is for everybody topay attention.”
Anxiety knotted in the pit of her stomach at his quip, forcing her eyes to her page.He hadn’t aimed his last comment specifically at her, but the suffocating sense of onus crashed over her just the same.
She’d spent weeks trying to make a fabulous impression on Pine.She feared all her professor would remember when he heard her name was the red-faced woman who hadn’t been listening, and her toes curled in her shoes at the excruciating idea.
Forcing herself to tune into Pine’s words, she pushed down the sickening feeling threatening to rise.She’d make sure she paid attention that time and would wow him with her contribution, but lurking in the back of her mind was still the unnerving reply she’d received that morning.
Someone had sent that message.
Someone had read her apology and decided that sending those words was the best course of action.
Watching Pine gesture to the screen behind him, she couldn’t believe she had allowed whoever it was to set the tone, empowering the mysterious asshole to dominate her thoughts instead of concentrating on her studies.
She couldn’t decide if she was angrier at them or herself.
Either way, her rage would have to wait.
Whatever happened next, Pine was her first port of call.
Chapter Four
Hours passed before she thought of the infuriating messenger again.Two more lectures filled that time, as well as lunch with Cindy and Liz to compare hangovers.Next was a well-needed trip to the supermarket to collect groceries and another bus ride home.By the time she got back to her house, the heavens had opened again.Weighed down by her shopping bags and her hair wetted to her face, she’d rarely been more pleased to see the bleak little hallway of the house.
“Kris, is that you?”Tina called from the lounge.
“Yeah.”Kris shook the rain from her face as she peeled off her coat.“How are you?”
“A lot better than you by the looks of things.”Standing in the entrance to their cozy living space, Tina shook her head as she laughed.“Raining, is it?”
“Just a little.”Kris’ voice oozed with sarcasm.“But I have fought my way through the monsoon, and I come bearing gifts.”
She signaled to the two bags loaded with food at her feet.
“Oh, well done.”Tina shifted into action and collected the bags for her.Carrying them through to the small kitchen they shared with Melanie, she called her reply.“We’re practically out of bread and pasta.”
“Not anymore.”Opening the nearby door, Kris reached into the downstairs bathroom for a towel.Unfolding the fabric, she draped it over her drenched tresses and began to dry them as she continued.“Now, we’re fully stocked with provisions.”
“Let me put all this away while you take a shower.”Tina appeared in the doorway again.Motioning to the soaked towel in Kris’ hands, she chuckled.“That way, you can warm up properly and stop drowning our hand towel.”
Kris smiled.“Fair enough.I’ll get started on dinner after that.I was thinking mushroom pasta.”
“Oh, yum,” Tina said.“Let me do that.You did the shopping, after all.Do you know if Melanie’s home tonight?”
