Page 34 of The Professor's Wife

He cocked his head to the side, looking surprised by the question. “No, of course not. How do you like your coffee?”

“Um, black.”

His smile widened, a spark of private amusement flickering in his eyes. “Black it is.”

“Thank you. I can pay you back.”

His face gentled. “It’s just coffee.”

Shy, I nodded. “I know…”

How could I explain that I wasn’t used to kind gestures, much less from a man like him?

I had felt mostly invisible in my life, especially here at school, where most first-year students were younger than me and had completely different priorities.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Daisy.”

His eyes brightened. “Nice to meet you, Daisy.”

Before I could ask his name, he said, “Don’t go anywhere, all right?”

I smiled brightly. “I won’t.”

“I’ll find you hunched over that textbook?”

I laughed. “Yes, definitely.”

His stare deepened, pinning me in place, and I had to resist the instinct to squirm. A tight flutter pulled at my heart.

He was ridiculously handsome.

“Perfect.”

Oh, my God. Oh, my God!

The second he was gone, I raced to a library computer and looked up the philosophy faculty at Dover Island University.

I found him within minutes.

His picture loaded with all the dramatic slowness of campus internet, but there he was.

Professor Oliver Black.

And he was gettingmecoffee.

When I got home, June was curled into one end of the couch with Rowe asleep beside her, his little body sprawled across the cushions. I slipped in next to her and carefully pulled him across my lap. He stirred only enough to tuck his face against my stomach.

“He drew you a picture,” June whispered. “Said this is for Mama Sweet!”

A smile pulled at my mouth as I smoothed the hair from his forehead. “Thank you for watching him.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” She tucked her feet beneath herself. “I’m happy to. I love coming home to you and Rowe. I love this. Being able to watch him for you.”

I glanced around the apartment. It was small and cramped, with Rowe’s toys beneath the coffee table and laundry drying over the backs of chairs. I didn’t understand how June could look around at so little and call herself happy.

“I wouldn’t be able to get all this work done, June. Thank you.”