Counterpointe by Ann Warner Read Free Book Online

woman like this.”
     
    He shifted but didn’t pull completely away. This was turning out to be trickier than he expected, especially given Joyce’s status as a senior colleague.
     
    “There’s something I need to tell you.”
     
    “It must be important for you to go all out and bring in a fancy dinner.”
     
    “Yes. Well—”
     
    “You okay, Robbie? You don’t usually let me get away with a jibe like that.” She pulled away to look at him.
     
    “I, ah, met someone.”
     
    “What does that mean, exactly?”
     
    “A woman.”
     
    Joyce straightened and stared at him. Seeing her expression, his mouth dried out and his hands went clammy.
     
    “You and I. We did agree we’d keep it casual.” Although it now appeared his definition of casual might be different from hers.
     
    “Someone I know?”
     
    “No.”
     
    “But, I thought we... Is she a scientist?”
     
    “No.”
     
    “What then?”
     
    “She’s a principal dancer for Danse Classique.”
     
    There was a beat of silence, then Joyce started laughing. “Good God, Robbie. A dancer?” She blew her nose. “How quaint. You have got to be kidding.”
     
    “No. I assure you, I’m not.”
     
    Several expressions flitted across her face. She started to speak, stopped, took another anticipatory breath, then turned away as a sneeze overtook her. And he would give up his grant funding if he could leave before she finished blowing her nose.
     
    “But you told me you liked that we had so much in common,” she said.
     
    “I’m sorry.” Sorry he’d misled her. Sorry he’d compromised himself, he now saw, because it had been a convenient companionship and he’d been flattered by her interest.
     
    Joyce stared at him for a moment then spoke in a toneless voice. “You men are all alike, aren’t you. Young and sexy trumps mature and intelligent every time.” She wiped her nose and her lips thinned. “I want you to go. And forget about us being friends. Lucky for you, you already have tenure, or I’d make damn sure you didn’t get it.”
     

    Rob stood in the doorway of the department secretary’s office. Donna, middle-aged and resolutely plain, greeted him, as she always did, with a warm smile. “Dr. Chapin, what can I do for you?”
     
    “Just checking to see if my grant paperwork is ready yet.”
     
    “It’s on its way to the dean. Dr. Willette said she would drop it off.”
     
    Dammit, no way . He pulled in a breath and struggled to sound normal. “How long ago?”
     
    “Maybe an hour?”
     
    When, as expected, the dean’s assistant had no record of receiving the paperwork, Rob’s next stop was Joyce’s office. “Donna said you took my grant application to give to the dean.”
     
    “That’s right. I was going that way.”
     
    “He said he hasn’t seen it.”
     
    “Perhaps his assistant misplaced it. Sorry, Rob. I was just trying to do you a favor.” She gave him a satisfied look. He wondered which trash can she’d pitched it in.
     
    He returned to Donna’s office. “Dr. Willette lost the paperwork. That means it has to be retyped and re-signed. Unfortunately, it has to go out today.”
     
    Donna frowned. “She lost it? How did she manage that?”
     
    A tricky question to answer. Still, he’d worked with Donna nine years and their relationship had always been a good one. He hoped it was good enough. “She did it deliberately, I’m afraid. She’s angry with me.”
     
    “What did you do to her?” Donna’s eyes, behind round glasses that made her appear perpetually surprised, were bright with interest.
     
    “I’d rather not to go into it. But, please, keep my work out of sight from now on.”
     
    “I may have a word with her myself. After all, I’m the one with the increased workload.”
     
    “Please don’t. It would simply make matters worse.”
     
    Donna rolled her eyes. “Likely, you’ve got that right. She can be a real pain unless every T is crossed and I dotted to her