Page 90 of Seeing Harper

“What are your plans if I don’t allow it?”

Clay shook his head slowly and looked his professor in the eye. “Honestly, I already have my belongings packed. The absolute latest I can put off leaving is Monday. I’d hate to lose the class credit but my family needs me. If I have to retake the class at a later date, I’ll just have to retake the class.”

Professor Lonegan watched the young man standing before him. He’d taught Clay for the last couple of semesters and in his opinion Clay was a very intelligent, calm, steady, and trustworthy young man. He was the kind of young man that would be successful at anything he took on. “Don’t you already have a final on Monday morning?”

“Yes, sir. I do.”

Professor Lonegan watched him for a few moments longer before speaking. “Come here to my office as soon as you’re finished. I will allow you to take your final at that time.”

“Thank you, Professor Lonegan! You just don’t know how much I appreciate it.”

“Yes, well, not a word to anyone else! Make sure that you keep this to yourself.”

“Absolutely Sir!”

“I’ll see you on Monday immediately after your first final.”

“I’ll be here, Professor!” Clay promised.

~~~

“I just don’t understand why you’re still so worked up over it. I mean, yeah, the guy’s a dick. And how dare he imply that your refusal of him could endanger the chance for your family to do business with his company, but you’re practically feral in the way you’re reacting. That’s not like you. You tell somebody off and move on and this is just eating you up,” Summer said, from her place on her favorite pool float, drifting lazily in the water with a frozen pina colada in hand.

Harper pushed the sunglasses up higher on her nose and sipped her own pina colada, before glancing in Summer’s direction. “I know. It’s like that feeling you get when somebody’s breathing too loudly, or chewing with their mouths open and making that horrible smacking noise, and you just want to knock them out of their chair… that’s how being around him makes me feel. From the first time I laid eyes on him, and it just went downhill from there, you know?”

“Yeah, I do. Not that I’ve felt that way about somebody in particular, but I get it. I have wanted to smack the hell out of some people for making too much noise when they eat. I mean, who the hell raised them, you know?” Summer paused to sip more of her drink. “So, what are you going to do. You promised your dad you’d be back to work with them tomorrow.”

“And I will. But I’m very upset with him, too. The only reason I’m going is because I will not break my work — not even in this situation. After that, though, I’m coming back here. And I won’t go home until Joel leaves, and maybe not until I can look at my father without feeling betrayed.”

“Maybe he’ll leave you alone and pretend you’re not even there.”

“My dad, or Joel?”

“Joel. It’s too much to hope for that your dad would ignore you.”

“That would help. It just makes my skin crawl that Joel even wants to try to impress me.”

“It’s kind of weird. I mean, it’s not, but it is. It’s what I would expect if you were mated and someone else wouldn’t take no for an answer, but you’re not mated. Granted you want Clay and think he’s your mate, but the deed is not done, so, that’s why it’s weird.”

Harper had been sipping her drink, and immediately started choking.

“You okay? You need me to do the Heimlich?” Summer asked from several feet away, drifting on a slight breeze.

Harper continued to cough and hack, even sitting up as straight as she could on the pool float.

“As long as you’re coughing, you’re good. I learned that in my First Aid class. If somebody has the air to cough, they have the air to breathe. Give them a second and see what happens.”

Harper coughed for another minute or so before she finally got herself under control. “I could have choked to death!” she said accusingly.

“No. You were coughing so there was air getting in. Did you not listen to me?”

Harper snarled and grumbled a little.

“Sit up a little higher when you drink. Maybe you swallowed wrong.”

“I didn’t swallow wrong! You made me choke!”

“How did I make you choke? I’m way over here!”