“Foster’s is no longer my company, and we both know she wasn’t responsible for that order.”
“Well perhaps if she’d been paying better attention to her job and less attention to you, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“She was sabotaged by a resentful employee, and there is nothing she could have done to stop this from happening.” I pause, and he watches me. He’s judging my words. His actions, his decisions aren’t driven by mere departmental procedure and regulation; he’s disappointed in her the way a parent would be after finding out their child was diddling the teacher. He may be able to make a strong case for removing Adeline from the internship, but it won’t be the true reason behind his actions. He’s upset. Plain and simple. I hold his gaze harshly. “If you care about her future, you won’t destroy it. She does not deserve this, and it isn’t her fault.”
“Not her fault? Of course it’s her fault!”
“I want you to listen to me very carefully. I did this. It was me. I took advantage of a naive young woman in a situation where I was the one in control. Who knows? She may have thought her internship would be threatened if she didn’t comply, perhaps her future would be ruined. She was coerced. But it was me. Not her. She was a victim in all of this, and it would be a real shame for your student to be punished for being victimized by me.”
“You’re full of shit. I don’t believe for a second she felt coerced.”
“You don’t have to believe it. So long as the rest of the world does. People don’t look so kindly on schools turning a blind eye when their female students are being harassed and assaulted. Every year some university is coming under criticism for mishandling crimes against their female population in order to mitigate their crime rate. And in this case, you already allowed her to return to her internship after finding out Mark Lear harassed her. Hell, you didn’t investigate or take any action whatsoever to ensure her safety.”
“That’s a lie! I asked her if she…”
I cut him off quickly. “Again, it has more to do with what people are willing to believe.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself.” His face is burning red in his fury. He wants to hit me, but since I want to hit him just as much, I’m willing to let it slide.
“No, you should! You had no problem allowing her to return to Foster’s after the incident with Mark. You want to talk about inappropriate, that man tormented her, and you had no problem sending her right back for more. Funny how easily and eagerly you seem willing to pass judgment on her now. A judgment, by the way, that was fed to you by Mark Lear himself. She deserves better from you, especially if you have as much respect for her as you say you do. And if that respect isn’t enough for you to do the right thing, then trust me when I tell you I can pave the way for one hell of a harassment case that will implicate the university’s blatant refusal to support their student. If it means painting myself a sexually assaulting asshole, then I’ll do it. And if you think for a moment I’m not more than willing to hang myself out to dry for her, think again.” I don’t have to try to sound convincing to this man. I’m telling the truth. There is nothing I won’t do to protect her from the rug they’re pulling out from under her, and if that means throwing myself under the bus to see it done, so be it
Dr. Lynch is staring at me. His eyes are wide; his nostrils are flared. “Why would you do this for her?”
“That’s no more your business than what my relationship with her is or is not.”
“You’ll destroy your career.”
“Maybe. But that’s my problem.”
He stares, saying nothing, and I stare coolly back, waiting. I’m not cool at all. My heart is pounding, and I’m terrified. I don’t want this threat to move outside of this room. I may be willing to destroy my life, but it certainly isn’t what I want to have happen. I can’t take care of her if I’m destitute. I can’t be with her if I destroy my life. He has to break, and I won’t break his stare until he does.
“Is she good at what she does? I want an honest assessment and not the one fogged by your dick.”
“She is. She has more talent than the vast majority of designers I’ve worked with, and the fact she’s not even out of school yet impresses the hell out of me. She has an eye for historical architecture, and while I’m sure she’s more than capable of handling contemporary, she’s more than at home in traditional design. I didn’t expect her to be so talented when she first came to Foster’s, but she is. And if you can’t see she’s accomplished twice as much in her one semester at Foster’s than your other interns ever have and likely ever will, then you are blind.”
Dr. Lynch continues to stare. He’s debating, deciding, judging, and my heart is still pounding. I might not be able to stop myself from punching him in the face if I don’t get my way. Her future is on the line, and this man is the only one who can redeem her. His stare goes on and on for eternity, and I sit, waiting, watching, trying not to kill him.
“She’s not going back to Foster’s for the remainder of the week, but I’ll consider the internship complete. I want her performance evaluation turned in by someone other than you, and I won’t be sending any more interns to Foster’s if you remain on staff. You’ve said you’re not with Foster’s anymore, so I’m assuming this won’t be a problem. Right now, I have no interest in speaking with her, so I’d appreciate it if you would let her know. She’ll graduate with her class this weekend, and quite frankly, I’ll be glad to be done with this bullshit.”
I want to kiss him. I still want to punch him too, but my relief is overwhelming. I try to stay cool, but the audible sigh that passes my lips is a clear sign I’m crumbling. This has easily been the most intense and terrifying fifteen minutes of my life, and when I escape from the building and finally sink into my car, my hands tremble on the steering wheel. I let my head sink to the steering wheel. Tears I haven’t experienced in more years than I can recall are suddenly present and fighting to spill. I give in for a minute and let them fall before dashing them away and pulling from the parking lot.
Chapter 26
When I arrive at Adeline’s apartment, I don’t expect to find it silent and unoccupied. I knock and then I pound. I call her cell phone, which goes straight to voice mail, and as I hit Redial and peer in through her blinds, I’m caught completely off guard when Kelli suddenly appears. I’ve decided I like Kelli. She’s spunky and strikes me as the type who is not easily ruffled—unlike me, who is ready to pop a tent on her porch, send out a search party, and lobby my congressman for mandatory girlfriend microchip tracking devices.
Ironically, I had intended to take her to dinner on this very night and profess my feelings. I had been psyching myself for the event since I made the reservation the afternoon before, and now, having had to change those plans, I was expecting to find her home so I could be her knight in shining armor. But arriving to her empty apartment with my plans dashed was admittedly not what I had in mind. Kelli in her stead was definitely not what I had in mind.
“Hi.” Her words are uneasy and leery.
“Uh… Have you talked to Adeline? I can’t reach her, and I…”
I must look desperate, as she unlocks the door and lets me enter with her. Her eyes are calm, but her gaze is suspicious as she studies me. “Yeah. I just talked to her a bit ago. She’s going home to be with her parents. She left in a hurry and left some windows open and asked that I stop by.” Her eyes narrow at my concern. “Are you okay? You don’t look well.”