“It’s—”
“I mean,” Dante said, cutting my dad off. “She was ready to defend herself against her professor yesterday,yourguy, I’d say she’s more than earned it.”
“No one is taking Savannah’s art away from her.” My mom’s voice held just a hint of impatience. “Yougave her the art shed, really, Maxwell?”
My dad flushed. “It was a joint decision,” he mumbled almost incoherently.
“Mom?”
Mom looked at me, her gaze soft. “I want you to be happy. Art makes you happy.” Her gaze flicked to Dante. “And sports people, apparently.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. A compliment and an insult all in one sentence.
Dad was looking between us, gauging my reaction. “While this wasn’t what I had planned, when I called your mother to come here—”
“Wait. What?” I shook my head. “Dante called Mom.”
“Iasked your mother to be here—”
“Well—” my mom gave my dad an almost apologetic smile — “you did ask, Maxwell. But when her boyfriend called me and said she was practically assaulted by a member of your staff that you had spying on her...That’swhat made me get a flight last night and not next week as planned.”
“You left surgeries?” I asked doubtfully.
“You think I wouldn’t want to see you were okay, with my own eyes?”
Yes. But she was saying it... I didn’t know what to do with that.
Dad checked his watch. “I need to get back.”
“You’re taking me to lunch. Savannah, are you coming?” my mom asked. She was already heading to the shed door.
Dante’s squeeze of my hand almost broke it. “Um... no,” I told her. “I need to be here.”
She looked disappointed, but she said nothing. “I’ll mail you some surgical steel.”
“Why?”
“For the sculpture, of course. Surgical steel is less brittle; you should be able to incorporate it.” She looked back at my bench. “And a miter saw, you’ll need one.”
“I . . . Thank you.”
She smiled at me, warm and fleeting, but real. “And you will return to your dorm.” She gave Dante a pointed look. “You can be a hero on the field, and take as many risks on it and off it as you like, but you will not risk my daughter’s education because of an unplanned pregnancy. Keep it wrapped up, Mr. Spence. I know a hundred different ways to bleed you out and make it look like an accident. And athousandmore, including a particularly fascinating technique with the scrotum and a scalpel, to make it look completely intentional.” She smiled at him, but there was no warmth. “Remember that, if you ever think of skipping protection.”
Dante looked slightly green.
“I’ll see you at dinner, Savannah?” my dad asked, looking slightly exasperated at my mom’s bluntness, and I wasn’t sure if it was the mention of me having sex or bleeding scrotums that had done it. I nodded, and then they were both gone.
Dante watched the door. “My balls may never drop, your mother is so scary.” He looked at me. “What do you think? I don’t know if that makes anything better,” he admitted thoughtfully. “The program’s still shit.”
“Forget that for a moment. What thehellwere you thinking?” I demanded. “You cannot make decisions like that for me, Dante! You took my phone?” I hit his good arm. “You called my mom!” I hit him again. “Are you out of your freaking mind?”
He caught my hand and twisted me around so that my back was to his chest.
“When you calm down, you’ll thank me for this,” he said with that charming smile he wore so well. “Your mom was calling you — people who don’t care don’t call. I took a chance.Andshe helped. You get to do art, you get to keep your shed, you get to have a say in your education.” His lips skimmed my ear. “You now know your Dad isn’t a dick... I mean—”
“Do not finish that sentence,” I warned.
“Fair enough.” He kissed my cheek. “You get to go back to your dorm, with the soundproofed walls where your boyfriend, wholovesyou, will make you scream with pleasure, again...” He turned me to look up at him and kissed me. “And again...” He kissed me longer. “And again.”
