Just Around the Corner

“So what kind of doctor is she?” she asked, softening. Anything to keep that look focused on her just a little bit longer.

“She teaches psychology here at Montford.”

Sophie frowned, wishing she was a little more clued in. She didn’t want to say the wrong thing, sound stupid. Or worse, have him know she hadn’t been listening.

It wouldn’t matter so much if she could tell him why she hadn’t been listening. But they weren’t that intimate yet.

“I’m a theater major,” she said, lobbing that one over, hoping it would fly.

“But you had some questions about your future last week….”

“And you cleared them up for me,” she assured him quickly. Did he think she wanted to change majors?

God forbid! She couldn’t have Matt thinking she wanted to leave him.

“I love it here,” she told him, infusing her voice with the love she felt for him.

Matt was such a loner it must hurt him a lot more than most people to be left.

And hurting Matt was the one thing Sophie could never do. She loved him too much.

“I told her a little about you,” Matt said. “She thought maybe the two of you could chat, that she could give you some…some womanly insights I wouldn’t have. You know, you mentioned about your mother and—”

“You told her about my mother?” Sophie wanted to crawl under the couch and die. Matt had told another woman the things Sophie had shared with him in confidence.

If the humiliation didn’t kill her, jealousy would.

“No.” She’d been so wrapped up in her own misery, she’d almost missed his reply. Thankfully she didn’t.

“I didn’t tell her anything specific about what you said,” Matt continued slowly. Sophie was particularly fond of the way he chose his words so carefully. So deliberately. It meant he was sincere when he told her how good she was. “I just said that my star student was thinking about quitting school. I couldn’t stand by and let that happen.”

“You didn’t,” Sophie assured him, needing him to know the credit was all his. “You said exactly what I needed to hear. I’m already registered for next semester.”

“Good,” he said, nodding. He scooted his chair back a little, leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together between them.

Sophie missed the warmth of his knees. But at least he hadn’t ended their meeting.

“I’d still like you to talk to Dr. Langford, Soph,” he said when she thought they’d finished with all that. “The doubts might resurface, and I don’t want to take any chances on losing you.”

Well, when he put it like that… “Then, of course I’ll talk to her. Will you set something up for me?”

She really liked the idea of Matt taking care of her this way.

“I’ll be seeing her tonight,” he said. “I’ll speak to her about it then.”

Sophie’s whole day crashed. He couldn’t be seeing her tonight. Matt didn’t date; everyone knew that. Who was this Dr. Langford, anyway?

She wanted to tell him to forget it, forget setting anything up for her, but then stopped herself. Maybe she needed to meet this Dr. Langford just to set the record straight. Matt and Sophie had an understanding. She needed him. Had been waiting for him to choose the time, day or night, when they’d cross that line from student and teacher to lovers. To the relationship they both wanted so badly.

No psychology professor was going to blow it for them now.

“I can see her tomorrow right before class,” she told him, thinking it might be a good idea to have him discuss her with his friend, after all. At least when they were together tonight, he’d be taking Sophie with him.

Dr. Langford couldn’t help but get the significance of that.

“I thought y

ou had an English-lit class right before you came to me.”