Page 50 of Learning Curves

Michelle sat beside Audrey on the sofa, placing two cups of tea on the table before them. “Here. Everything feels better after a good cup of tea.”

Obediently, Audrey lifted her cup and took a cautious sip to check the temperature. Then her eyes widened. “Did you spike this?”

Michelle shrugged, hiding her smile. “Well, why not? We’re in for the evening, and if there was ever a situation that called for spiked tea ...”

Audrey laughed, wiping tears from her cheeks before she took another sip.

“Sounds like good logic to me.” She finished her first cup quickly, looking somewhat more relaxed with a little bit of alcohol in her veins.

Her face was puffy, her makeup streaked.

She’d been through the wringer today, no doubt about it.

“Why don’t you take a shower? Put on something comfortable,” Michelle suggested. “Then we’ll talk more.”

“Okay,” Audrey agreed quietly. “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time.” Michelle watched Audrey walk upstairs, then took another sip of her tea.

Suddenly, she was exhausted. She just wanted to stretch out on the sofa and close her eyes.

She didn’t want to be in her work clothes anymore, though.

With a groan, she hauled herself to her feet and went to retrieve the bag she’d left in her car, then went up to Audrey’s bedroom to change into cozy flannel pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt.

Back downstairs, she refreshed her tea and settled on the sofa.

She’d quit her job today. She should probably be upset about it, but the only emotion she could identify in her jumbled thoughts was relief.

Good lord, she was so relieved. Maybe she hadn’t fully realized how unhappy she’d been at Northshire until this moment.

Now that she could look ahead to a future away from this job, she felt as if she could draw a full breath for the first time in years. She sipped more tea, relishing the warmth of the whisky in her veins. With a smile, she leaned back and closed her eyes.

“You look awfully serene for someone who just quit her job,” Audrey said quietly, and the sofa dipped as she settled beside Michelle.

“I am.” She opened her eyes, relieved to see that Audrey looked calmer now, too, her skin damp and refreshed from the shower. “Have more tea. The whole pot is already spiked with honey, lemon, and whisky. A hot toddy, if you will.”

“Oh, I will.” Audrey kissed her cheek and then went into the kitchen. When she returned, mug in hand, she sat beside Michelle. “I owe you an apology. I was so upset earlier, and I took it out on you when you didn’t deserve it.”

Michelle knew that, but it was still nice to hear. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t even apologize yet,” Audrey said with a small laugh.

“I only told you I owed you one, but Michelle ... I’m so sorry.

When I found out Stuart had offered you my class, I reacted so badly.

There’s no excuse. I know I hurt you, and the truth is, I really, truly would have loved to see you teach that class.

I’m so sorry you won’t get that chance.”

“I’m not,” Michelle told her. “I used to want that class more than anything, but I’ve moved past it.

Writing this book has brought me more joy than any class I’ve taught in years.

This is what I’m passionate about now. Honestly, I wish I could just write for a living, but it’s not feasible.

I’ll need another day job, at least to start. ”

Audrey gripped Michelle’s hand. “We could move to London. You’ve been wanting to leave Vermont. This is our chance. We can go anywhere, but you’ve already sacrificed so much, and London is your home. So let’s go.”

“Maybe,” Michelle said. “I appreciate your offer, but let’s see what NU does about my resignation first.”

“Even if they offer me my job back, I’m not sure I’d take it. It’s tainted now. I’d never feel good about being there, knowing they only hired me back because you quit.”

Michelle tsked . “Don’t be naive. I’m not Stuart’s biggest fan—far from it—but he and whoever else was involved in the decision made the right call today.

They had to let someone go, and even though some of the older professors are completely useless, they’re untouchable unless they do something heinous.

You were on a temporary contract already, so it had to be you.

I don’t believe for a minute that Stuart wanted to let you go.

Given a free choice between us, he’d have kept you and fired me in a heartbeat.

So, if he’s able to hire you back, please don’t let what happened today poison your feelings about your job. ”

“I don’t know.” Audrey took another sip of her tea.

“Audrey, you’re a brilliant professor. You truly inspire your students.

The whole department likes and respects you.

You made changes on campus—real changes, like the transcription software—and you’ve only been teaching here six months.

Imagine what you could do with more time?

I foresee you running the whole department someday, to be frank. ”

“Stop.” Audrey hid her face behind her mug. “You’re making me blush.”

“I speak the truth.”

“I love you.” Audrey put her mug down and kissed her, and Michelle tasted the warmth of honey, lemon, and whisky in her mouth. “Seriously, I love you so much.”

“Mm. Same.” Michelle’s eyes closed as Audrey pressed her into the cushions.

She was half-drunk, from both the whisky and the emotions of the day.

And now, with Audrey’s hand creeping beneath the waistband of her pants, she was burning with desire.

Her back arched, hips pressing upward to meet Audrey’s touch.

“Michelle?” Audrey traced hearts over her lower stomach, and Michelle whimpered.

“Mm?”

“I’m sorry you were so unhappy at work. I wish it hadn’t come to this.”

“I wish you hadn’t lost your job, but I’m not at all sorry about mine.”

Audrey met her eyes as her fingers slipped lower. “Really?”

Michelle sucked in a breath, nodding. “I don’t know what will happen next for me, but I think it’s going to work out for the best. I’m ready for new things.”

“I meant what I said.” Audrey teased the seam of Michelle’s underwear, and she let out an embarrassingly needy sound. Audrey made her feel like a teenager when it came to sex, all hormones and cravings. She couldn’t get enough.

“What?” Michelle wriggled beneath her, ready to rip her own clothes off if Audrey didn’t hurry up.

“Just say the word, and I’ll move to London with you. Even if Stuart offers me my job back, I’d go. Whatever you want. All I need is you.”

Tears leaked from her eyes as Michelle absorbed Audrey’s words and the sincerity with which she spoke them.

For over twenty years, Michelle had put someone else first. She’d suppressed her own wants and needs in favor of Kelly’s.

And now, she’d found someone who valued her, someone who wanted her to succeed no matter what that success looked like or where it took them.

Someone who wanted to put Michelle first for a change.

The reality was exhilarating ... and overwhelming.

She couldn’t put her thoughts about it into words at the moment, especially not with Audrey’s hand where it was. “What I want is you inside me, right now.”

Audrey chuckled as she complied. Her hand slipped inside Michelle’s underwear, touching Michelle where she ached for her. There was no more talking as Audrey’s fingers slipped and plunged, quickly taking Michelle over the edge into oblivion.

Getting drunk on a Monday night hadn’t been Audrey’s best decision.

She woke on Tuesday morning with a pounding headache, but her heart was lighter than it had any right to be, given the circumstances, and it was all because of the woman in bed beside her.

As long as they had each other, everything else would work itself out in time.

This had only been Audrey’s first shot at a tenure-track position.

She would find another. With a groan, she slid out of bed and went into the bathroom to freshen up, then ventured downstairs for water and ibuprofen.

Since Michelle had been just as drunk last night, she grabbed two glasses and four tablets.

Michelle was just coming out of the bathroom as Audrey reentered her bedroom. “Oh god, yes,” Michelle said when she saw what Audrey had in her hands.

They sat on the bed and swallowed their hangover cures, then stepped into the shower together.

Audrey wished they could spend some time talking, because she really wanted to check in with Michelle and see how she was feeling about things in the light of day, but there just wasn’t time. They both had to get to work.

Audrey didn’t see any regret on Michelle’s face, though. On the contrary, she smiled through her shower, an almost dreamy expression on her face.

“You look happy,” Audrey commented as they were toweling off afterward.

“I feel happy.” Michelle leaned in to press a quick kiss on Audrey’s cheek. “I feel free . I should have quit years ago.”

“Wow. I didn’t know you were that unhappy at NU.”

“I’m not sure I did, either, but now that I’m leaving, I feel so relieved.”

“Even without a new job?” Audrey asked because, to her, it felt undeniably scary and uncertain that both their jobs would end in a few months.

Surely they’d find something new, but it might take a while.

And what if they couldn’t find jobs in the same city?

The job market in America really wasn’t great, especially for a newly minted professor like herself.

Audrey was trying not to panic about her finances, at least not yet, but she had mountains of student loans. How was she going to pay them?

“We’ll find jobs. I don’t know why I feel so sure about it. I just do.”

And coming from a pessimist like Michelle ... that was something.