Page 39 of Brighter Shades of Light

There was no mistaking the innuendo in his statement.

“Guess I better be on my best behavior then,” I said, inwardly cringing at the way my voice squeaked. “Should I change into a suit before we get coffee? Since it’s an interview and all.”

I was just joking, but I didn’t know if my nerves ruined the effect.

Dr. Vale’s lips twitched. “What you’re wearing is fine.”

“Good.” I blew out a breath. “’Cause I don’t own a suit.”

The smile he’d worked so hard to keep back finally surfaced, and damn if it wasn’t the sexiest thing I’d seen all day.

He opened the door. “After you.”

“Thanks.” My stomach fluttered, and I stepped out of his office.

Attraction. A spark.

As we walked down the hall, I couldn’t help but feel that maybe the spark was growing into something more.

Chapter 11

Sebastian

Until the moment Cody invited me for coffee, I’d had zero intentions of having a teacher’s assistant. I had meant what I told Brandon about preferring to work alone.

But I wouldn’t let myself have coffee with a student unless there was a professional reason to do so. Therefore, I panicked after saying yes and lied about wanting a TA. Now, I was put under pressure to keep the lie going. Or to give in and actually have one. Which I didn’t want to do.

However, the thought of spending two days a week with Cody next semester—when I wouldn’t have him in any of my classes—was tempting. Very tempting.

We agreed to meet at Brewed Emporium, a small coffee house near the marina, and took separate vehicles. Going out in public with him was already pushing it. No need to have him in my car, too. Mainly because I wasn’t sure what I’d do once alone with him in a tight space.

My behavior around Cody was out of character for me.

I barely knew how to talk to people most days, let alone flirt. And yet, something had come over me in my office. I had stepped toward him, fighting the urge to caress his flushed cheeks, and had spoken calmly and without the awkwardness I seemed to give to everyone else.

He made me want things I hadn’t wanted in a long while.

Arriving at the coffee house, I parked and got out of the car. The October air was crisp with only a hint of summer still clinging on, and I breathed it in. I didn’t have a favorite season. They all had pros and cons. But there was something special about autumn. A certain peace came with it.

Or maybe I only thought that because it’d been Leon’s favorite time of year.

I shook my head, chiding myself for thinking of him again, and went inside. A barista was grinding coffee beans behind the counter, and instrumental music played overhead. I surveyed the room before choosing a small table near the window.

Cody had left campus when I had, but he was nowhere in sight. Another minute passed. Then three. I tapped a finger on the table as it hit the five minute mark. Ten minutes.

Just as I began to suspect he was standing me up, a rusty blue truck pulled into the parking lot. I heard it before I saw it. It screeched to a halt, the high-pitched breaks making me—and other patrons in the room—cringe, and then the loud engine shut off.

Cody got out of the truck and slammed the heavy door before stopping and pulling out his wallet. He rifled through it with a frown before putting it in his back pocket and jogging toward the entrance.

Did he have financial issues? It wasn’t my business, but the thought crossed my mind anyway.

As he entered the coffee house, I stood to get his attention, and he rushed over.

“Sorry for taking forever,” he said with a wide, apologetic smile. A strand of his hair fell across his brow, and the urge to brush it aside was strong. “Blue wouldn’t start.”

“Blue?”

“My truck. He’s an old clunker, but I’m attached to him, ya know?” Cody slipped his hands in his pockets and peered up at me. “Order anything you want. It’s on me.”