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  but they said buying decorations makes more sense in

  increments of five, so they went with it. As a man with a

  doctorate in math, it really doesn’t make sense, but that

  whole town is full of idiots, so you have to learn to let it go.”

  She shook her head and he frowned. “I’m not going.”

  “But why? It’s been years, Jax. It’s time to go back and

  tell Margot all the stuff you haven’t yet. She deserves to

  know before she starts popping out little Jaxons into the

  world. Your family isn’t your fault, and she loves you. She’s

  not your mother.”

  “That’s the last thing I want to do. You know the hell my

  parents put me through, and as long as they’re alive,

  they’re not done. I’m not subjecting Margot to that kind of

  bigotry, much less an innocent child we haven’t even talked

  about yet, though Margot’s probably ready for one. How the

  world treats us is bad enough, but when it comes from

  people who are supposed to love you, it’s doubly painful.”

  She pointed at him as she spoke. “Nothing conjures up a

  single wonderful, warm, fuzzy memory, so I’m giving it a

  pass like I did the first two times they sent an invitation. It

  would be nothing but four days of forcing myself to be nice

  to people I didn’t like, who didn’t like me.”

  “I know, and you’re probably going to punch me in the

  nose before all this is over, but I still think it’ll be good for

  you to go back. It might get better, or it might not,” he said

  softly. “Putting it to rest once and for all might be a relief.”

  “I put it to rest already, but there’s one thing I don’t

  understand. Why do you want to go? You’re the last person

  in the world I need to be explaining this to. Your experience

  wasn’t any better than mine. Why the sudden urge to fly

  back and face the abuse you know is coming?” She gripped

  the leather strap of her bag, wanting to be finished with this

  conversation. Her day had been good until now.

  Bert could be more persistent than a tick when it came to

  something he wanted. They’d met when they both wanted

  ownership rights of a book in the library. Bert had been the

  class punching bag, but he hadn’t backed down when she

  threatened to clock him. They’d been as close as siblings

  ever since.

  In school they’d participated in different activities, but

  they’d always been there for each other, cheering their

  triumphs no matter what. At their high school graduation,

  they’d shared the valedictorian honors, but he had gladly let

  the writer in their friendship give the commencement

  speech. In college they’d been roommates once they moved

  off campus, and their plan had been to end up on the same

  faculty.

  When he wasn’t teaching he’d come by and sit in her

  class and listen. He often told her how much he envied her

  passion in the classroom, and nothing she said made him

  believe he was just as good. There was no way he’d be

  teaching at one of the most prestigious universities in the

  nation if he wasn’t excellence personified, but his impostor

  syndrome refused to allow him to believe it.

  Granted, his coeds didn’t look at him like they looked at

  her, but Bert had his share of fans. They were usually more

  in awe of his grasp of numbers than his looks, but they

  loved him. She often teased him that it was because

  literature and poetry were way sexier than algorithms.

  She finally smiled as he seemed to be thinking of his next

  best move.

  “Come on, doesn’t a part of you want to go back and

  show them up?” Trying to appear earnest, Bert put his

  hands out to his sides and tried his best pleading

  expression. “They all thought I’d shrivel up and die after

  graduation, but I didn’t, and neither did you. We need to

  show them what we’ve achieved.”

  Pleading had never worked with her—he had a slow

  learning curve on that. “Bert, that’s about the saddest thing

  you could’ve come up with.” She started walking, and Bert

  skipped to keep up. “If you’re dying to go, then go. I may

  not understand your reasoning, but I won’t think any less of

  you for going back to that hellhole. Besides, it’ll give you a

  chance to check on your parents. Regular phone calls can’t

  take the place of seeing you. They’re some of the few sane

  people in that town, and it’s been months since they’ve

  seen you.”

  “But I don’t want to go by myself.”

  Jaxon was waiting for him to stomp his foot and clench

  his shoulders to go with the whine as he lengthened the last

  word. “Does it really matter that much in the realm of all

  things what those cretins think of you? Right now,

  considering where you are and what you do, it means you

  won. I doubt anyone else has been as successful. Look

  around—this isn’t Hicksville, USA.”

  Bert ran his hand through his hair, releasing a small

  cloud of chalk dust. It was one of the endearing things about

  him that went with the pocket protector. Why he couldn’t

  purchase a pen case like everyone else was a mystery.

  There was no reason to shove them all under your nose like

  that. “Yeah, it matters just a little bit. Can’t we just go and

  show them geeks can be really cool?” The pleading face was

  back, and this time it softened her a bit.

  He had to stop and turn to face her when she stopped

  short. She smiled when he stared back at her with his hands

  up again. “Bert, buddy, you’re my best friend, and I love

  you, but you, my man, are not cool.”

  He frowned as he looked her up and down. The minute

  Margot had gotten her to commit, she’d had to agree to

  stop seeing other women and stop shopping for her own

  clothes. The women were a given, but Margot really enjoyed

  shopping for her, so the white shirt, dark brown suede

  jacket, and comfortable jeans were all thanks to her loving

  partner.

  The only thing she’d been allowed to keep was the pair of

  well-maintained cowboy boots. The footwear was

  commented on by her students when she’d sit on the desk

  at the front of the class and swing her legs. Margot had told

  her they pretty much cemented how cool they thought she

  was. Plus, Margot thought they were sexy.

  “Doesn’t this school have a dress code?” Bert followed

  her into the English department. He straightened his tie and

  smoothed down his own slightly wrinkled shirt, oblivious to

  the ink stain at the very corner of the front pocket. It clearly

  hadn’t prevented him from putting it on that morning,

  though, because it didn’t appear fresh. Yet one more reason

  for the pen case.

  “No shorts,” Viola said with authority as Jaxon dropped

  into her chair in her office. “Boy, don’t you know they pay

  her to look like that? Dr. Jaxon’s a star, and her looks keep

  those kids packing those classrooms. She’s what t
hey call a

  cash cow over in the business school. All the girls want her,

  and the boys are all praying that they’ll get a glimpse of

  Margot.”

  “Viola, stop tormenting Bert.” The stack of pink message

  slips Viola handed her made her sigh. She tried to put faces

  with some of the names, but for once most of them weren’t

  from students. If they didn’t leave a reason for calling, she

  threw them out.

  “Thanks, Jaxon.” Bert stuck his tongue out at Viola.

  “That would be my job,” Jaxon finished the joke. “Now,

  beautiful one, what’s on my schedule for the rest of the

  day?” Today and Thursdays were her long days, and she’d

  been in class except for the hour she’d spent at the coffee

  shop.

  Viola held up her appointment book and opened it like

  she was getting ready to read from some holy book. “You

  have office hours for the next hour, but don’t worry, I’ve run

  off most of the ones who think they’ll be the next Margot

  Drake. After that you’re expected downstairs for a faculty

  meeting. Once that’s done, Margot will be waiting for you

  out front. I’m sure you’ve conveniently forgotten that you’re

  having dinner with her and her parents tonight.”

  “But…” Damn, she had conveniently forgotten that.

  “But nothing, Dr. Jaxon, you’re going, so don’t even try

  your shenanigans. You don’t go, and I’m going to get

  blamed.” Viola put her hand up and shook her head. “Don’t

  give me any bullshit. Every time you don’t do something,

  you blame it on me, and the people you lie to believe you

  because of those dimples of yours. Margot Drake can be

  scary when she wants to be, and I’m not going to be the

  first person she runs over with her car.”

  “I don’t blame you—I blame work. There’s a difference.”

  “Uh-huh. Did you know she’s got the most popular hair in

  America?” Viola cocked her head to the side and smiled.

  She almost fell over when she leaned her chair back too

  far. “What? Is that some sort of trick question?” She

  dropped her feet and narrowed her eyes at Viola. “Wait, let

  me guess, the rag that pretends to be news strikes again?”

  Jaxon was convinced she was the only English professor in

  America who had an assistant hooked on tabloid news.

  “Don’t knock my favorite publication, Doc. At least

  they’re giving her good press, unlike some of her costars.

  Did you know that one girl on the show’s got a coke

  problem?”

  “I didn’t need help from the news toilet bowl to figure

  that one out. The fact the woman stumbles through her

  lines and is constantly sniffing gives it away. Now back to

  this dinner. There’s no chance Margot’s working late tonight,

  is there? I love her parents, but I’m not going over there

  alone.”

  Viola rolled her eyes at nearly the same time Bert rolled

  his. Neither of them understood the way Margot’s father

  liked to torture her, and no one in their right mind lined up

  for torture. She was many things, but masochist wasn’t on

  her list.

  “If you knew Wilber, you wouldn’t want to go over there

  either. That’s who taught Margot all her scary ways, as you

  put it.”

  “What’s it you people from the south call it? Scaredy-

  cat?” Viola laughed when she frowned. “She wrapped up for

  the day an hour ago and called. If you’re worried the

  general is planning to beat you up, don’t worry. You won’t be

  going into the lion’s den without backup. Margot made me

  promise to mention she’d be there to protect you as a way

  to keep you from running away from home.”

  “Why doesn’t that make me feel any better? Send in the

  first victim, taskmaster,” Jaxon said to Viola. “As for you,

  whiny boy, will it make you feel better if I said I’ll think

  about it?”

  “It’s not no, and I’m not giving up.” Bert slapped his

  hands together, stood, and wiggled his hips in some sort of

  happy dance. Either that or he was having some kind of fit.

  “I’m so glad you’re so optimistic. It’ll make it easier to

  pop your balloon later when I say no.”

  “Will that be unequivocally no?” Bert asked and laughed.

  “It’ll be no punctuated by me kicking your ass.”

  * * *

  Margot spread cleanser on her face, more than ready to

  shed her television persona. The thought of a few days off

  was making her tingle. All she had to do now was talk Jaxon

  into having one of her grad assistants take over her classes,

  and she would have nirvana. It had been weeks since they’d

  had any significant time together. All she wanted was a long

  weekend somewhere where there was room service. They

  had plenty to talk about, starting with whatever was

  bothering Jax. She’d denied it repeatedly, but there was

  something rattling around that brilliant mind, and it wasn’t a

  good thing.

  “Big plans for tonight? If you do, change them.” Britt

  Anderson sat in the chair next to hers and dipped his fingers

  into the jar she was using. “I have tickets to a new show in

  town and decided you’re the lucky girl who gets to go with

  me.” He snapped his fingers and winked at her in the mirror.

  How any man could pack so much obnoxiousness and so

  many clichés into such a short frame was a mystery.

  With a disgusted look, she tossed the jar of cleanser in

  the trash. Judith sat next to her and put her hand on her

  forearm as a way to calm her down before she said

  something that’d require intervention from HR. Judith

  seemed unable to hold in her laugh at Britt’s never-ending,

  always unsuccessful quest to get her to notice him. Maybe

  one day he’d come to accept that Jaxon wasn’t just sleeping

  over because it was her job to clean the pool.

  She’d told him on numerous occasions that she wasn’t

  interested because she only dated women. Gossip on set

  spread faster than the plague, but there was one item Britt

  hadn’t latched on to because he refused to believe it.

  His biggest problem was that she’d been the pursuer in

  her relationship with Jaxon. Her lover was brilliant, but not

  too many people knew she was actually shy. Margot

  would’ve grown old waiting for Jaxon to make a move if she

  hadn’t taken the initiative. All it had taken was patience and

  a slew of sexy underwear.

  Jax had lasted about two weeks after her graduation

  before saying yes to their first date. She’d never wanted

  anyone as much as Jaxon, and she’d been a pest until she’d

  given in. At first she’d thought Jax was just appeasing her

  while she was busy changing her phone number and taking

  out a restraining order. Fortunately, that hadn’t been the

  case.

  Jaxon had finally agreed to go out, but she’d insisted on

  making the arrangements. The picnic on a private stretch of

  beach was one of her favorite memori
es, and the most

  romantic date she’d been on until then. Jaxon Lavigne was a

  Southern gentlewoman who’d swept her off her feet even if

  she had been the one who’d technically asked Jax out.

  A year and three months had passed since then, and

  Jaxon hadn’t had a chance to utter a no yet, and if Margot

  had her way, a negative response to the life she wanted

  with the professor wouldn’t be coming until death robbed

  one of them of breath. She’d argued away every one of

  Jaxon’s objections until she’d gotten her first real good night

  kiss, followed by more convincing so they could move in

  together.

  “Britt, go back to your own trailer and leave Margot

  alone. You insisted in your contract you had to have one, so

  go there and lock yourself in.” Judith crossed her arms to

  signal there’d be hell to pay if Britt didn’t get up and move.

  He harumphed dramatically and flounced out. The click of

  the door closing made her and Judith laugh. If she was

  lucky, Britt heard them as he skulked away.

  “Cretin.”

  “Honey, methinks you’ve been hanging around Jaxon too

  long.” Judith plopped down in the seat Britt had been using.

  “I think cretin’s a perfectly acceptable term. It is, after

  all, used by someone who has a doctorate in English.”

  “Uh-huh, and you would explain the use of Jiminy Cricket

  as a curse, how?”

  Margot laughed, thinking of Jaxon sitting in front of the

  television invoking the name of a beloved animated

  character to show displeasure at everything from sports

  scores to the news. The funniest part was, with Jaxon’s

  inflection, it was almost as good as telling someone to fuck

  off. “There are two reasons for that.”

  “Yes?”

  “She’s a little nuts and a lot adorable.”

  “With the way she feels about you, I’d have thought

  you’d be sporting a big ring by now. Once you say yes, think

  how much easier it’ll be to keep fools like Britt at bay.”

  Judith laughed at her own joke but stopped when Margot

  didn’t join in.

  “If you think I’d say no if she offered, you’re more

  delusional than Britt. I can never be sure, but I think she

  holds back a little because she’s afraid. Of what I don’t know

  for sure, and I try not to let it hurt my feelings. Jaxon can

  take all the time she wants to figure out what she wants,

  because in the end, I know whatever those decisions will be