He was still finishing a note to himself when the meeting ended and his co-workers started filing past. A few nodded at him politely. The dance director smiled. No one stopped to speak.
He relaxed a bit.
And waited.
Phyllis Langford walked right past him, engrossed in conversation with her department head. She was wearing a navy suit today, with a navy-and-white polka-dot blouse. She looked great.
And not the least bit pregnant.
“Hi,” he said, stepping up behind her.
Swinging around, she knocked into him, her purse walloping him in the ribs. “Matt! Hi,” she said, smiling at him for a second. He hated how quickly her face sobered. “Did you need something?” she asked much more hesitantly, glancing at her superior.
Matt glanced at the older man, as well, wondering if Phyllis had any interest in him other than a professional one.
Wondering, too, if his baby was going to prevent her from pursuing that interest.
“I’d like to see you for a second, if you’ve got the time,” he said. She was the entire reason he was at the damn Friday-afternoon meeting. A carefully planned, casual running into each other, just to see how she was doing. He hadn’t spoken with her in almost two weeks.
Excusing herself to Dr. Ellington, Phyllis followed Matt out into the hall.
“What’s up?” She appeared to be very carefully keeping a distance between them as they walked out of the building and across campus toward the faculty lot where they’d both parked. Matt was grateful to her for that distance.
“Just wanted to make sure there were no problems.”
She frowned. “I told you I’d call if there were.”
“I know.”
“So?”
“I’m just making sure.”
“Matt, the whole idea is that I’m on my own here. That means you don’t check up on me.”
He nodded. Glad to hear she still seemed confident in her decision. And then he remembered the good Dr. Ellington.
“Have dinner with me this weekend,” he said before he could weigh the consequences of his words.
“No.”
“We can go to Phoenix, someplace no one we know will see us together.” Her refusal made him more determined. He was doing this for her. And for him, too, he guessed. Somehow he had to find a way to live with himself. He couldn’t allow the pregnancy to throw her whole social life, her career plans, off course.
“No.”
“I have something to discuss with you,” he said, thinking of ways she could have his child and still date and attend conferences and do all the things she’d done before. He hadn’t thought of one, but maybe together they could come up with something….
“What?”
There was no way she could be pregnant with his child and continue with her life as it had been. He just had to accept that fact—and accept his share of the blame.
“My family medical history,” he said, coming up with the idea at the last minute. “You should know my medical background. Your doctor should have it.”
“She did ask…” Phyllis said, and then stopped. Stopped speaking. Stopped walking. She looked up at Matt, her eyes serious, her lips firm.
“All right, one dinner, but that’s all,” she said. “And then I’m on my own.”
“Agreed.”