Fake flame, p.15
Fake Flame, page 15
She forced her spine to straighten. “I can’t believe you give a shit, Darren. You can leave any time.”
He scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No, not kidding. Door’s right there. I suggest you use it.” Eva turned and pointed at the doorway, willing someone to come through it and end this farce.
But when she turned back, Darren had moved closer. She started to step back, but his hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. “Enough’s enough, Eva. You’ve played your little game to make me jealous, but that stops now.”
Eva stared pointedly at his fingers. “There’s no game. Take. Your hand. Off me.”
“Or what?” Then his tone shifted from challenging to coaxing. “Come on, Eva. We were good together. We can be again. You’ve got to be trying to make me jealous. I can’t believe you are choosing that lunkhead over me.”
Anxiety crawled up her spine and twisted her stomach, but she forced herself to not show it. “Darren, I would choose rancid cheese over you. I would choose explosive diarrhea over you. And once and for all, take your hand off me.”
He didn’t. Instead, he escalated, grabbing her other wrist. “What are you going to do about it?” How had she ever let this man into her life, her bed?
She took a deep breath, centering herself, feeling her feet grounded the way Sean had taught her. “I’m going to give you one last warning. You don’t want to test me on this.” Her heart was pounding, a strange humming in her ears. Stress? Shock? Rage? Maybe all of them at once.
“Why, because your boy toy taught you some slow-motion tricks?”
“Jesus, but you’re a fool,” Eva said, twisting her wrists out of his grip with the speed and ease of practice. Then, for good measure, when he went to grab at her again, she stomped on his foot, then brought her knee up sharply, stopping just shy of his groin. He froze. “Don’t you ever lay hands on anyone unwilling again. Ever.”
Hoots and clapping from the doorway startled her. A small group of students stood there, one of them holding up a phone.
Well. For once, a recording of her and Darren was a good thing.
She called to the student. “Madison, you want to forward that recording to me, please?”
The student nodded, tapping her phone and giving Eva a thumbs-up.
Darren straightened and sneered. Seriously, she was getting tired of the sneering. “What, so you can advertise how you assaulted me?”
“No,” Eva said. “So I can forward the evidence of you assaulting me and me needing to defend myself to the dean. You grabbed me. I asked you multiple times to let go. You didn’t. I broke the hold and when I saw you were going for me again, then I bruised your instep. This is all on you.”
Finally, a flare of panic flashed across Darren’s face. “I have tenure,” he said, but his bravado was slipping.
“Good for you. Let’s see how well a system that’s designed to protect academic freedom will protect a predator from the consequences of his actions. Get. Out.”
* * *
When Sean arrived, the class was in an uproar. Eva stood in the center of the floor, surrounded by chattering, excited students.
“What’s going on?” he asked, pitching his voice so it would boom above the din.
Eva, previously absorbed with a student, looked up and Sean took in a bunch of things at once: she was pale, her eyes looked enormous and he had never seen her look relieved to see him.
“Professor Perry grabbed Professor Campbell and it was so cool. She did everything you taught us,” one young woman gushed.
Rage surged through Sean and he fought the urge to run his hands over Eva, to check for himself that she was really okay. “Everything?” he asked, one eyebrow shooting up. He’d taught them some fairly drastic things like eye gouging and throat punching.
Eva raised her hands as if she was seeking control over the situation. “Not everything. I just broke his hold and stomped on his foot to keep him from trying again.”
“And showed him she could have nailed him in the balls if she wanted to,” crowed another jubilant student. The small handful of young men who’d been taking the class grimaced and seemed to hunch a bit.
“Jesus, Eva.” Sean shouldered his way through the students and wrapped his arms around her, dimly aware that the excited chatter had changed its tone a little. Coos and titters and even one whispered, “Oh, my God, I knew it!” He didn’t care. He just cared that Eva was safe and well. She clung to him like a life preserver and it was as if something in his heart cracked open.
Easing up on his grip, he palmed her cheeks and tilted her head up at him. “You weren’t hurt?” She shook her head, lips folding into her mouth. “Okay. I think we need to cancel today’s class.”
“Oh, heck no. I think tonight just proves how much this is needed,” she said, her blue eyes blazing.
“Whatever you want.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “What are you going to do? This can’t keep happening.”
She shook her head and pointed at a student. “Madison got video of the whole thing. I’m sending it to the dean.”
“Excellent. For once, this generation’s impulse to record everything is going to do some good.” Reluctantly letting go of Eva, he stepped back and addressed the class. “Okay, everyone. Let’s take five minutes to get the excess adrenaline out of our systems. Everybody go outside and do one lap around the building. Fast walking, running, whatever.” He tapped his watch, starting a timer. “And, go.” The students streamed out and then they were alone.
“Wow,” Eva said, her eyes going wide. “You could have been a coach or something if you wanted to.” He was happy to see that her normal color had returned to her face.
“Are you sure you want to hold the class tonight?” He had to be sure. If Eva wanted anything, he would give it to her. The anger that had flooded his system left him feeling jittery and like he wanted to sweep her up and carry her away to someplace safe.
She gave a brisk little nod. “Absolutely. Let’s show these kids how it’s done.”
* * *
The next morning Eva had her second meeting with the dean about Darren Fucking Perry. That was how she thought of him now, like Fucking was his middle name.
“Thank you for coming in,” Dean Treadwell said, motioning Eva to a chair. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am that this happened to you.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Eva said, feeling a tiny rush of relief. There had been a small part of her that was afraid that the dean would blame her instead of Darren, to take his side, to say she’d overreacted.
“Maybe not, but Professor Perry is employed by this college, and his assault of you happened on campus. I can’t help but feel responsible for things that happen here, on my watch.”
“Okay.” Eva wasn’t sure what to do with any of that. It was almost more exhausting to have Dean Treadwell take responsibility for Darren’s actions. Another woman having to deal with his shit. Great. It was bad enough that she’d had to think nearly constantly about her own safety. Knowing that so many other people were involved only made it worse.
The dean steepled her fingers in front of her, elbows resting on the desk. “Obviously, I can’t fire him outright since he does have tenure. But I can and will place him on administrative leave and ban him from campus pending a full investigation. I am confident that the resolution of this unfortunate event will be that Professor Perry will no longer be employed when all is said and done.”
“Oh,” Eva said, feeling a little light-headed. She’d hoped for a reprimand. She hadn’t even known to hope for this.
“I’m going to ask you again. Will you be pursuing legal action against him?” the dean asked, her normally stern features softening.
“I... Yeah. I think I will,” Eva said. She didn’t know the first thing about finding a lawyer or filing a restraining order, but she would figure it out. Krystal would help her. And Sean would support her. She swallowed hard, the reality of her support network almost making her weak in the knees.
“Good. Now. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Eva, feeling a little numb by now, shook her head. “No. Thank you. Thank you for believing me. So many times things get flipped around in situations like these.”
The dean stood and moved around her desk. Reflexively, Eva also stood. The dean extended a hand to Eva to shake, saying solemnly, “Those of us who know, well. We know. And these things often only escalate.”
“Oh.” Eva felt like all the air had been pressed out of her lungs. The dean? She knew? Maybe from personal experience? This was getting surreal.
Dean Treadwell released her hand and stepped back. “Thank you again for coming to see me, Professor Campbell. I won’t let you down on this.”
And with that unmistakable dismissal, Eva practically fled to the sanctuary of her own office.
* * *
That evening, walking Timmy and Luther with Krystal, Eva asked, “So I know securities law has nothing to do with this, but do you know anyone who can hook me up with a restraining order?” The jokey tone she was trying to convey fell absolutely flat, and Krystal shot her a sideways look, immediately on edge.
“What happened?”
“Darren. Darren happened. He showed up where we hold the self-defense classes yesterday evening and put me in a position where I had to give him a demonstration of exactly how much I’d learned.”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Krystal said, fury flashing in her dark eyes.
Eva shook her head. For the first time since it happened, she felt the urge to cry. “I wish I was.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“No. He just grabbed me and didn’t let go when I told him to.” Then, suddenly, she was crying.
Krystal’s arms wrapped around her, rocking her gently, her next words low in Eva’s ear. “That’s scary enough. A person who will do that will usually do more than that.”
She sniffed, pulling back a bit and wiping her eyes. “Yeah. A kid got video of it and the dean is going to fire him. So I’ve got that going for me, at least.”
Krystal squeezed her again. “That’s not nothing, but watch yourself. This kind of situation is where things often escalate.”
“I know.” Eva groaned, then crouched to pat Timmy, who’d shot her what looked like a worried expression at the unexpected noise she made. “Don’t worry, doggaloo. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Timmy looked unconvinced. Eva straightened up and they continued their walk.
“To answer your question, though, I do have a classmate from Georgetown who’s a family attorney. She can hook you up, I’m sure,” Krystal said.
Eva breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. That’s one less thing I have to think about, then.”
Krystal patted her arm. “You sure you don’t want to stay with me? I’m guessing your smoking-hot fireman can’t exactly be around twenty-four-seven.”
“No, he can’t. He’s on a shift now as a matter of fact.”
“I don’t like it, but you’re grown. So that’s all I’ll say about that. How’s that going, anyway?”
Something like a real smile tugged weakly at Eva’s mouth. “Great, actually. I’m meeting his family this weekend.”
“You’re meeting. Your fake boyfriend’s. Family.” Krystal’s tone was bone-dry.
“Oh, news flash. Not fake anymore,” Eva said, a glow of pleasure spreading through her. The one and only bright spot in this entire situation was Sean. Beautiful, generous, loveable Sean was really hers. Lending her his strength and helping her to find her own.
Krystal stopped walking, Luther shooting her a nervous look. “Shut the front door. Why didn’t you lead with that good news?”
Eva shrugged. “I don’t know? The whole situation is so weird and chaotic in a way, but also sweet and lovely. He’s...well, he’s just great.” I think I’m falling for him, she didn’t add. Because that felt too big and too scary and too, well, true to say to anyone but him.
Twenty
“Ready to face the chaos?” Sean asked when she opened her door to him on Saturday afternoon. He felt keyed up and anxious, happy he was going to get to spend time with his family, but also nervous. The elder Campbells had been unpleasant, sure. But they were also very, well, quiet.
The Hannigans were decidedly not.
“Ready!” she said brightly, stepping out of her house and locking her front door.
He took a minute to appreciate the way her silky blue blouse draped over her incredible figure, the way it made her eyes even more intense. “You look pretty,” he said, giving her a tender kiss and holding her hand until they got to the truck.
“Why, thank you. You look awfully handsome yourself,” she replied.
It was a little absurd how proud that compliment made him. He wanted to shout to the entire world that this amazing woman had chosen him. For now, though, he’d settle for showing her off to his family.
“Any progress on that restraining order?” he asked her as he pulled out of her neighborhood.
“Yeah. I’ve contacted a family attorney who’s a former classmate of Krystal’s. She’s filed something or docketed something and I’ll have to go and testify, which I can’t stand the idea of, but it will hopefully help.”
“Good.” He still wanted to find Darren and pummel him until his own mother wouldn’t recognize him, but that was not an impulse he would ever be proud of.
“So what do I need to know about your family before I meet them?” she asked.
He laughed nervously. “I should probably have told you to invest in earplugs. There are a lot of us, almost as many children as adults, and it’s basically mayhem.”
She chuckled. “Well, that’ll be a total change from my family, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah. It really will.” Not to mention, his entire family was going to love her, which would be a one-eighty from the situation with him and her parents.
“What are your parents like?” she asked.
He lifted one hand and ticked off his parents’ qualities on successive fingers. “Intensely Catholic, which I think you already know, very traditional, very bonkers about being grandparents. It’s kind of their entire identity now.”
“Oh. How many grandchildren are there anyway?” Her voice had gone a little faint.
He grimaced. “Ten.”
“Ten grandchildren?” Now her tone was incredulous. “Ten?”
“Yeah. Maeve and Erin have three each. Bridget’s an overachiever with four. Jury’s out whether or not Caitlin and Nicole will ever have them but they say no, at least for now. My folks originally seemed to think that being gay automatically meant they wouldn’t have any kids, but they seem to have gotten the memo that it’s a possibility, so they’re still hopeful for more.”
“Oh, my God,” Eva said, looking a little pale. “I suppose I should have figured that people from a family of five would also have large families themselves, but it just didn’t occur to me that there would be quite that many.”
“Sorry. Should have warned you earlier. The rug rats are a handful, but they’re all good kids.” He shrugged. He’d never really thought about it. As the youngest, he’d always been a part of that big family and the way it had grown had seemed perfectly normal.
Her stare seemed to bore into the side of his head. “It’s not that there are that many of them. It’s the idea that for your parents having ten grandchildren isn’t enough.”
She sounded so horrified that Sean had to laugh. “What’s that quote about excess?”
“Oscar Wilde. ‘Moderation is a fatal thing... Nothing succeeds like excess.’” Her voice still had that faint quality about it, though, and Sean was beginning to worry. Now that he could see his family through her eyes, he could acknowledge that it would be overwhelming for her.
“You okay over there?”
“Yeah. Yeah. I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t worry. Uncle Sean will protect you from the ankle biters.”
Her hand landed on his thigh, warm and comforting. “I have no doubt that you will.”
* * *
Eva truly hadn’t been prepared for the chaos that faced her when they entered Sean’s parents’ home. It was a solid red brick structure on a quiet street and it looked tidy, comfortable and lived in from the outside.
But inside? Inside, the foyer and hallway was an instant wall of noise and movement. It seemed like kids were everywhere. Kids in their early teens, kids in grade school and one preschooler who seemed hell-bent on making the most noise of any of them. Sean made a megaphone with his hands around his mouth. “Everybody out!” he hollered and the majority of them swarmed toward what Eva presumed was the backyard.
“Thank God. Now I can hear myself think,” he muttered. One of the remaining teens slouched over and raised a fist for Sean to tap. “Uncle Sean. Saving the day as usual,” he said.
“Aidan, my man. Make sure the kids aren’t tearing up Granny and Pop’s backyard?”
“On it,” the kid said, and loped out.
Sean took her hand and led Eva to a large sitting room in the back of the house where it seemed a hundred people waited for them. “Sorry we’re late, guys. Eva, this is my family. Family, this is Eva Campbell. My girlfriend.”
The word girlfriend suddenly seemed absurd and wrong and too young for her and Eva felt the weight of all of those eyes land on her. She gave a weak little wave. “Hi. Nice to meet you all.” Even though she hadn’t met any of them yet.
Sean gave her hand a little squeeze as the man who had to be his dad got to his feet and came forward, hand outstretched. “Lovely to meet you.” There was a faint haze of an Irish lilt in his voice.
His handshake and greeting was followed immediately by Sean’s mother. “So sorry you had to face the chaos of all our grandbabies. I heard Sean hollering at them. Best to have them out back where they can run around to their hearts’ content.” Her voice was pure Boston, with its flat vowels and dropped r’s. She gave a brisk little nod to her only son, her pride evident on her face. “But didn’t Sean tell us you’re a teacher? You must be used to children and their hijinks.”
