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“Oh, if you need any of that, I’m only a phone call away,” Morgan said.
The knock on the door prevented me from saying anything else and I waited for it to open. When it didn’t, Morgan called, “Come in.” She glared at me as she did as if to tell me that was how knocking and doors worked.
I was about to give her a witty comment but when I saw who walked in the door, I couldn’t speak, I could hardly breathe. I knew Morgan and Hope Sinclair were friends and she might stop by and see Morgan especially on her last day. It shouldn’t have been a shock to see her, but it didn’t matter how many times I saw Hope, it still was like getting punched in the gut.
It had been a good six months since I had seen her last but she was still the most beautiful, sexy, and breathtaking woman I had ever seen. Her brown hair had grown out a little bit and she looked as if she had lost some weight. It made me worried she wasn’t eating enough and she wasn’t taking care of herself.
I had been introduced to Hope over five years ago when I was her mentor for her freshman year. It had been a requirement for me to graduate and I had been paired with Hope. Immediately, I was infatuated with her. From the way she carried herself when she walked into a room, as if her height was more of an asset than a hindrance, to how she moved with grace and poise that demanded she be watched.
She hardly needed me as she had known exactly what she would do and where she wanted to go. She certainly had more figured out when she came into the college than most people did when they came out of it. I knew that whatever she did, she would excel. She was destined to succeed in everything she tried in life. There was a vibrance to her that I was drawn to even if she never saw me as anything more than a mentor.
“Oh, Mac. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you would be here,” Hope said as she walked into the office.
“Why would you? I was just saying goodbye to Morgan. Are you here to help her move the last of her stuff?”
“Yes. No. I was just stopping by to say hi. Is that okay?”
“Of course. You’re always welcome here, even if Morgan is leaving us for greener pastures.”
“Thank you.”
I stared at her as her cheeks turned a slight red. I couldn’t understand what she could be embarrassed about.
“School is going well?” I asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
“Yes,” she said quickly.
She smiled at me as she did. It reached her eyes and made them seem an even darker green than before. My heart clinched at seeing them like that and her. I loved that she was so passionate about her schooling. It was one of the many things I admired about her.
“Hope just finished her dissertation and is awaiting the results,” Morgan chimed in.
I turned to look at Morgan, having almost forgotten for a second that she was there. She was eyeing me as if she was seeing me for the first time, or was trying to understand why I was looking at Hope the way I was.
“Congratulations. I’m sure that feels wonderful,” I said, turning back to look at Hope.
“Nerve-racking is more like it. The waiting is the hardest part. I thought the writing would be, but I was wrong,” she said with a laugh.
“I’m sure you did great. How soon should you know?”
“Anytime. They said it could take a few days to a month,” she said with a shrug.
“That is nerve-racking. I’m rooting for you. Not that you need it.”
“Thank you,” she said with a soft smile.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do next?”
I knew I sounded like a father interrogating a date for his daughter before going to prom, or worse, an employer asking job interview questions, but I couldn’t stop myself.
“One step at a time, Mac. Let her enjoy the fact she’s done with school before you push her into planning the rest of her life,” Morgan said.
“Oh, no. I wasn’t doing that. I was just curious. Definitely. Take some time. Figure things out. It will all work out. I’m sure.”
“Thank you,” Hope said with a strained smile.
“I’m late for a meeting. I was just stopping in to say goodbye and good luck to Morgan, not that you need it. This place isn’t going to be the same without you here.”
“That’s kind of you, Mac. If you ever need anything, let me know.”
