Page 4 of Learning Curves

When she got home later this afternoon, she’d open the windows and breathe it in, maybe even take her umbrella and go for a walk.

The rain invigorated her, which was fortunate, as she found herself facing a half dozen members of her new department, all of whom were currently gazing at her with curiosity.

Audrey checked in with her face, making sure she wore an open, friendly smile, because these people were forming critical first impressions of her right now.

“You must be the new ceramics professor,” a tall man with thinning white hair said, extending a hand.

“I am. Audrey Lind.” She gave his hand a firm shake. He looked vaguely familiar, and she suspected he’d taught here during her undergrad days, although she didn’t think she’d ever taken one of his classes.

“Thomas Rivard.”

“Dr. Rivard, of course. I remember you from my time here as a student.”

His eyebrows rose. “You’re a Northshire alumna?”

She nodded. “Graduated eight years ago. Art history major, naturally.”

“Naturally,” he echoed, eyes twinkling. “Welcome back, Audrey, and please call me Thomas.”

“Thank you, Thomas.”

From there, Mercy introduced her around the room. A few professors seemed disinterested in meeting her, but no one was openly rude. Well, no one except ... where was Dr. Thompson anyway? The sharp-tongued Brit was nowhere to be seen.

“Don’t start the meeting without me!” a male voice called jovially, and Stuart Hollinger entered the room.

In his midsixties, he had neatly groomed gray hair and wore a gray sweater-vest over a white button-down shirt.

His words were obviously a joke, as the meeting couldn’t begin without the man who’d called it, the chair of the art department.

Audrey had known him when she was a student—he’d been the chair then, too—but more recently, he’d been the driving force behind the committee’s decision to hire her, and so, she didn’t even have to think about her smile as she walked over to say hello.

He’d helped her secure her first full-time position, teaching her absolute dream class lineup, so he was currently her hero, and she was determined to prove her worth and earn the right to stay.

“Great to see you, Audrey. How are you settling in?” he asked, giving her shoulder a pat that she didn’t love. It felt vaguely patronizing, but she quickly pushed the feeling aside.

“I’m all settled and excited for the semester. Mercy’s been an awesome mentor.”

“Wonderful,” he said. “Just what I like to hear. And please reach out if there’s anything I can help with.”

“Will do. Thank you.”

“All right, then.” With another pat to her shoulder, Stuart turned to face the room, and Audrey scrambled to take a seat before the meeting got underway.

The chair to Mercy’s left was available, and Audrey claimed it.

Just as Heather, the department secretary, closed the door to the room, Audrey spotted Dr. Thompson sitting at the end of the long table, eyes downcast as she looked at something on her phone.

She must have arrived while Audrey was talking to Stuart.

And oof , that tweed jacket was really working for her.

It was woven in shades of gray, and she’d buttoned it over a periwinkle-blue dress shirt that complemented her fair complexion.

Dr. Thompson had always had an affinity for tweed, and Audrey had always had a weakness for seeing her in it.

Dr. Thompson’s dark hair was pulled back in a neat twist, the way she’d worn it since Audrey was a student, and those big, soulful brown eyes were as captivating as ever.

She was older now, of course, midforties if Audrey had to guess.

There were lines on her face that hadn’t been there before, and her features were sharper, as if she’d lost some of the softness of her youth.

Audrey had always thought wrinkles were beautiful, and Dr. Thompson’s were no exception. If anything, she was even more striking now, although Audrey couldn’t help missing her youthful enthusiasm. This older, harder version of her former mentor was jarring.

As she studied Dr. Thompson, Audrey’s heart beat just a little bit faster.

She felt like the teenage version of herself, swooning for her hot professor.

Audrey hadn’t known at first why her pulse raced whenever Dr. Thompson called on her, why she couldn’t take her eyes off the graceful curve of her neck or the way her legs looked when she wore heels.

Once she started fantasizing about Dr. Thompson pressing Audrey against her desk and kissing her, Audrey realized she might not be straight after all.

Her undergrad days had been filled with fantasies about Dr. Thompson, and somehow they had always been hotter than anything she’d experienced with her college boyfriends or girlfriends.

But that was in the past. Audrey had gotten over her crush shortly after graduation. As Stuart called the meeting to order, Dr. Thompson lifted her head. Her gaze swept over Audrey on its way to the front of the room, and Audrey’s heart gave a traitorous flutter.

No, absolutely not. She was not going to swoon over her coworker, let alone the one coworker who had been the least friendly since her arrival. Audrey turned to face Stuart as he began to speak.

“Greetings, all. I hope you had a nice summer. Before we go any further, I’d like to welcome the newest member of our faculty, Dr. Audrey Lind.

Some of you may remember her from her time here as a student.

If you haven’t met her yet, please say hello and welcome her to the department before you leave today.

Now, to the next order of business. Heather’s passing out flyers with a list of campus committees that have faculty openings.

I encourage you all to apply if you see something that looks like a good fit.

I’ll be happy to pass along any recommendations. ”

A few muffled groans went around the room from professors who clearly had no interest in volunteering for another commitment. Audrey sat taller in her chair, reaching eagerly for a flyer from the stack.

Here was an opportunity to impress her new boss and prove herself a valuable member of the department. She would apply for everything she was qualified for.

Michelle stood with relief when Stuart finally ended the meeting almost two hours later.

He’d always loved the sound of his own voice a little too much, if you asked her .

.. not that anyone ever did. She left the flyer advertising committee openings where it lay on the table in front of her.

Michelle already sat on the Sustainability Committee; plus she volunteered as a faculty advisor for the campus Pride Coalition.

Those commitments were more than enough.

Briefly, her gaze caught on Audrey. The young woman looked away, averting her eyes from Michelle, and that stung, although Michelle knew it was her own fault.

She hadn’t meant to alienate her former student, but now that she’d inadvertently insulted her—twice—there seemed to be no undoing the damage, at least, not while Michelle’s feelings about losing the Women in Art class were still so raw.

She walked downstairs to retrieve her umbrella from her office, hesitating as she realized Audrey had left her office door wide open.

She really ought to keep it locked when she wasn’t in it.

Michelle’s gaze roamed the neatly arranged shelves filled with books and ceramics and the interesting array of paintings on the walls.

From here, Michelle didn’t recognize any of the artists, but they appeared to be original paintings, not prints, which impressed her.

It was hard for younger professors to afford original art, so many of them settled for prints of famous works.

She was intrigued to know where Audrey had gotten these and whose work they were.

Audrey had been a bit of a teacher’s pet back in the day, and if her office was any indication, her overachieving personality was still in place. This was probably the neatest and most aesthetically pleasing office in the building.

The door to the stairwell opened, and Michelle quickly unlocked her own office and ducked inside before she got stuck talking to someone.

She was terrible at casual conversation.

She always had been, but lately she seemed worse at it than ever.

Michelle waited until she heard footsteps enter an office farther down the hall before grabbing her things and heading back out.

She walked to the stairwell, but just as she reached it, the door swung open, and Audrey stepped out, powder blue corduroy satchel slung over her shoulder. Michelle stepped automatically to the side so they didn’t collide with each other.

“Hi,” Audrey said, giving Michelle a curious look.

“Hello.” Michelle stepped past her into the stairwell. “Have a nice evening, Audrey.”

“You too.”

Michelle saw the disappointment on Audrey’s face as she began to descend the stairs. In hindsight, she should have asked Audrey how she felt after her first department meeting, maybe even offered some advice. Instead, she had done what she did best and fled a potentially awkward situation.

As Michelle stepped outside into an evening that had turned cool enough for her to feel fall on the breeze, regret twisted in her stomach for letting Audrey down yet again.

Michelle sucked in a deep, cleansing breath.

Having grown up in London, she appreciated the cool, damp air more than most. Gloomy days suited her.

A gentle rain fell, and she opened her umbrella for the short walk to her car.

Michelle strode across the quad, enjoying the staccato tap of her heels against the flagstones.

Soon, the campus would fill with students.

The thought released a barrage of emotions.

There was the familiar anticipation of a new academic year, new students to teach, the joy of opening young minds.