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“Class participation is an important part of your grade.”
Maddie’s spine stiffened and she lifted her chin to glare at Bryan. “I participated, Professor,” Maddie heard the petulance in her voice, but she didn’t care. “Tonight, I observed. You’ll see how much when I hand in my journal.”
Bryan walked behind his desk, grabbed his books off the top and shoved them in a leather case.
“Is being in my class going to be a problem for you, Maddie?”
He didn’t look at her while he spoke, giving her the opportunity to observe him. Perhaps it was the compressed lips, or the note of strain in his voice, but Maddie’s moment of defiance was short-lived. She closed her eyes on a sigh.
Bryan had taught the class as though she hadn’t existed. But what was he supposed to do? Stop everything and announce, “Oh, hey, you’re the woman who wanted to have a one night stand with me last month.”
Of course not. Bryan had been professional. She was the one who’d slunk in her seat and remained aloof. He wanted to know if being around him for the semester would be a problem. Well, if he could do it, so could she.
“It won’t be a problem.” Maddie prayed she was correct. “Actually, I enjoyed class tonight. You’re good at what you do.” Too good, she thought.
She turned toward the door, intending to head out, to leave well enough alone, but she couldn’t. She spun back to ask the question that had haunted her for three hours.
“Damn it, Bryan,” she kept her voice low so it wouldn’t carry through the empty hallway of the school, but couldn’t mask her frustration. “What are you doing here? I thought you were only in Boston for a business trip.”
“I was.” Bryan looked around, anywhere but at her, it seemed. After watching him appear so comfortable and unaffected all evening, it startled her to see him finally appear out of sorts. He distanced himself by sitting on the edge of his desk. “I came to accept the job offer and look for a house.”
“But you were in Boston, Massachusetts, not Manchester, New Hampshire!”
Bryan sighed. “A friend was attending a seminar. I went to Boston to see him and took a flight out from Logan.”
With Bryan leaning against his desk, it left room for Maddie to pace. Her book bag slid from her left shoulder down her arm and she grabbed the chunky straps with a clenched fist.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen. That night at the bar. You. Me.” She rattled on, as she whipped around to face him. “We were never supposed to see each other again.”
“Maddie,” Bryan reached out to touch her, seemed to think better of it, and instead gripped the edge of his desk. “Nothing happened that night.”
“But I wanted it to,” she blurted out. Oh, God! She had said that out loud. “Oh, God,” Mortified, Maddie ran out the door into the hallway.
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