Colton looks at me for confirmation before walking away. I watch him take a spot against the wall, far enough to give us privacy, but close enough to intervene if I need him.
I turn back to my dad. “What are you doing here?”
“Dr. Guarino reached out. He thought I’d like to see your work. I’ll admit, it’s impressive.”
I sputter, in complete shock and unable to form a coherent thought. My childhood and early adulthood were spent idolizing him, desperate for his love and approval, and even though he damaged our relationship irreparably, there’s still a buzz of pleasure at his words.
“I don’t agree with your decision to turn down the fellowship,” he says.
I shrug. “Well, that ship’s sailed.”
“You could have been one of the greats in our field.”
“I know. But it wasn’t what I wanted. Can you accept that?”
He plants his hands on his hips. “I can work on it.”
It isn’t much, but it’s something, and a weight lifts from my shoulders.
“Dr. Riley,” President Munchen says as she walks up to the two of us. “It’s an honor to have you on campus. I hope you’re as impressed by your daughter as we are.”
“I am,” he replies as they shake hands.
“I’m sorry to interrupt this reunion, but I was hoping to borrow Quinn for a few minutes.”
“Of course. Quinn, I’ll be in town until tomorrow night. We should have lunch tomorrow.”
An acceptance almost flies from my tongue on instinct, but I pause, thinking about what I really want. “I’m in back-to-back meetings tomorrow, but why don’t you call me when you get home?”
I appreciate him showing up and accepting my decision, but there are still ten years of hurt and mistrust between us. While I’m not opposed to building a new relationship—whatever that might look like—I need time to process before jumping into one.
Colt catches my eye as I follow behind President Munchen. He mouths,What?and I shrug my shoulders.
I follow our president to her office and sit down across the desk from her. I straighten my shoulders as she looks me over, like she can see every thought I've had and every challenge I’ve encountered.
“I appreciate the work you’ve done on this initiative. I’ve long thought our school would benefit from bridging the gap between the two sides, but I didn’t see a way to do it until you came around.”
“You’re welcome. I love Billings, and I’m happy to help however I can.”
Her smile turns impish. “How about helping out by taking the faculty role?”
I laugh, my head dropping back. “Nice try.”
“What if I sweetened the deal?”
I shake my head. “While I’m curious what you’d come up with, I know what I want.”
She shrugs, and when her eyes crinkle, and I feel a wave of warmth from her that helps me relax. “Never hurts to try.”
She rises from her desk, meeting me on the other side of her desk and taking my hand between both of hers. “Thank you, Quinn. Truly. For having a vision for this campus and fighting for it. We owe you a debt. You’ll let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”
I smile, giving her hand a squeeze in response. “You’re welcome. But there’s no debt owed. Just excited to see what this all leads to.”
I’m almost to the door when an idea strikes me. There really is no debt, but there is something I want. Something that would make this beautiful, incredible life I’ve found this summer perfect.
When I turn back to her, President Munchen raises an eyebrow.
“Actually,” I say, “there is something you could do for me.”
