Page 79 of Solo

K: SOS! May Day! Hellllllp! I’m trapped in Tessa Morgan’s office!

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Drew

I’m juggling Italian subs, chips, and drinks when I get to Tessa’s office. But I’ve done this dance a time or two and I’ve got a system in place that involves nudging the door open with my elbow, catching it with my foot, and squeezing through before it can slam in my face.

“Ugh. You would not believe the morning I’ve had…” I’m saying when I come across the threshold. But when the door swings all the way open, I stop dead in my tracks. Katherine is sitting in the chair across from Tessa. She looks up at me helplessly.

“Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt…” I mutter and start to back out the way I came in.

“Drew? Wait, come back here,” Tessa calls out.

I step back inside, plastering a pleasant expression on my face.

“Can you come in and sit down for a second?” She gestures toward the chair next to Katherine.

“Oh, well, you know, I really should go and…”

She raises a single eyebrow, daring me to finish that sentence. She knows full well I have no place to be but here, having lunch with her. The bag from SubPort is proof of that.

“Fine. Of course,” I say gruffly, dropping lunch on the side table and taking the empty seat. Tessa smiles brightly at us from across her desk. I hate that smile. It’s smug and condescending, and it’s a clue that she’s up to something.

Shit, shit, shit! It isn’t possible that she knows about us, is it?

“Drew—rather, Dr. Markham,” she corrects herself. “Kate stopped by to turn in her graduation paperwork. She’s just informed me that she won’t be needing any tickets to commencement.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” I say noncommittally, not sure where the hell Tessa’s going with this. All I know is that Katherine looks as if she’s praying for a sinkhole to open and swallow her whole.

“Yes, well, I was just saying that she really should speak with her father about attending. I’m sure we could arrange for extra tickets if he needs to travel with security, or an entourage…or even other politicians he might like to bring along.”

Now I see what she’s getting at. Tessa wants to take one last stab at getting into Katherine’s business. I didn’t much care before, but I do now. I clear my throat.

“Miss Brenner, I imagine you’ve already spoken with your father on this topic. And I would also imagine he’s a very busy man…”

“He is, Dr. Markham,” Kate agrees a little too enthusiastically. “He’s a very busy man.”

“But too busy to come to his only daughter’s graduation? Surely he can find the time for something so momentous, Kate.”

Tessa may be speaking to Katherine, but she’s looking at me. She obviously wants me to try and intervene somehow.

Holy shit!

I bite my tongue to keep from snorting. This is hilarious. I feel like I’m in a Mozart opera.

“Well,” I begin slowly, pretending to give the situation careful consideration. “I think you’re right, Professor Morgan, in that we should offer Senator Brenner any accommodations that might make things easier and more secure if he were to attend commencement ceremonies. But, if I’m not mistaken, isn’t that the week he’s set to bring his big bill to the floor?”

I’m totally pulling this out of my ass. I have no idea when the jackass is going to try and convince his colleagues to pull funding from the arts, but mid-May sounds about as good a time as any. Katherine jumps onto my bald-faced lie as if it’s a life raft at the scene of the Titanic.

“Oh yes, it is, Dr. Markham,” she says, her expression morphing from agony to relief. “Professor Morgan, you are so incredibly thoughtful and I am going to make sure that my father knows how concerned you’ve been about this. I’m sure he’ll be as grateful as I am.”

Hah! That’s my girl. In a matter of fifteen seconds she’s extricated herself from this situation and made Tessa feel appreciated.

Fucking. Brilliant.

Tessa is beaming as Kate gets to her feet. “Please excuse me, I have a lesson to prepare for. But really, I’m very grateful, Professor Morgan.” She turns in my direction and gives me a quick nod. “Dr. Markham,” she says, her voice a little less friendly.

“Well, I’m here for you anytime, Kate,” Tessa gushes. I’m about to breathe a sigh of relief when she speaks again. “Kate, I love that scarf with the snowflakes. Where on earth did you ever get that?”