Page 93 of Solo

She nods but doesn’t look at all convinced. Come to think of it, I’m not convinced, either.

…

If Russ is surprised when I throw open the door to his studio without knocking, he doesn’t say.

“What the fuck, Russell?” I spit at him once I’ve closed the door behind me. “What’s wrong with you?”

He gets up from his desk, standing just a few feet in front of me.

“This isn’t about what’s wrong with me. It’s about what’s wrong with you!”

“No, actually, this isn’t about either of us, it’s about Katherine. You really think it’s fair to just drop her because she and I…because we…”

I don’t know how to finish this sentence and I’m kicking myself for not thinking this through a little more before storming in here.

“Seems to me, Drew, that there’s a provision in the handbook prohibiting relationships between students and professors. And, knowing my ex-wife the way I do, I suspect Maureen would have your goddamn head on a silver platter if she knew what was going on.”

“But you’re not going to tell her,” I inform him.

He gives me a disbelieving grin.

“And why the hell wouldn’t I, Drew? I could finally get you out of my life once and for all. No tenure. In fact, no job for poor Dr. Markham! And a big, black X on your record for indecent behavior with a student.”

I take a step closer and poke his chest with my finger.

“You won’t tell anyone about this because it will destroy Katherine,” I say flatly.

He sucks in his scrawny chest, eyes blazing.

“Keep your goddamn hands off me, Drew. You know I’ll kick your ass from here into next Tuesday,” he hisses.

The truth is that he probably could. Russell’s much stronger than he looks. I know this because we’ve tussled before, over Casey. But this time I stand my ground, folding my arms across my chest and raising a questioning eyebrow.

After a very long, very heated minute, his face relaxes a fraction and I sigh with relief in my head.

“What are you doing with her?” he asks in a low, gravelly voice. “Are you just using her to get to me? To torture me again?”

Unbelievable.

I sigh again, out loud this time, and take a step back from the man who was almost my father-in-law.

“I was wrong, Russ. This isn’t about you or me or Katherine. It’s about Casey.”

He doesn’t disagree, so I continue.

“No. I swear to you, on her grave, that I am not doing this to get back at you. Or to torture you. I think I love her, Russ,” I mumble just loud enough so no one who might be lurking in the hallway might overhear us. “I didn’t think I could. I mean, not after Casey. And, Christ! I tried not to. And I was almost home free. Almost. But now…I just want to be with her. We’ve only got to keep it under wraps until she graduates.”

I can’t tell what the hell is going through Russell’s head. He might be plotting my death. Or, he might be planning our engagement party. You never know what The Ghost is going to do.

“All right.”

“All right?”

“All right,” he repeats.

“All right, what, Russ?”

“All right, I won’t say anything about you two.”