The Secret (Winslow Brothers 3)

“Find everything you need, Rachel?” he questions, and I don’t miss the ways his eyes flash with amusement.

“Sure did.” I wave the file in the air. “You said the file folder in the second drawer on the right, correct?”

His brow furrows ever so slightly and I know he’s wondering where my stupid panties are, but he recovers quickly. Ty Winslow isn’t a novice either. “Correct.”

“Well then, I’d say I got everything I need, Professor.”

He searches my eyes for a moment longer, but eventually, he takes a step back, opening a path for me. “Well then, I guess I’ll let you on your way.”

“Great.” I start to walk past him, but his voice makes me stop in my tracks.

“Oh, and Rachel?”

“Yeah?” I look up to meet his steadfast gaze.

“In the future, never hesitate to grab anything out of my desk or office, okay?” he states with a coy smile I want to smack right off his face. “My things are your things.”

Oh, hardy-har-har. Very funny, asshole.

“Duly noted.” My responding smile is so fake it could be a sugar substitute. “See you tomorrow.”

And then, I walk around the smug bastard and head right for the stairwell.

He might think he can make me break, but he hasn’t experienced the stubbornness that is Rachel Rose.

Game on, Professor. I hope you came to play.

Friday, January 18th

Ty

“Have a great weekend. See you, Monday,” I announce with a grin and watch as my four o’clock Advanced Creative Writing class packs up their bags.

If there’s one guarantee on a Friday, it’s that every student in the class will make a beeline for the door. There will be no questions or concerns to be had. The priority is the weekend, and anything class-related can wait until Monday.

Frankly, I don’t mind, and I stay put at my lecture hall desk, scrolling through some missed notifications on my phone while my mostly junior and senior students exit the room.

First, I hit my text inbox and find a message from an unknown number. The anticipation makes my heart rate kick up a few notches, but when I open it, the excitement comes to a screeching halt.

Unknown: Hi, Ty. It’s Clara.

Who is Clara? That name isn’t ringing any fucking bells.

Thankfully, she’s provided an explanation via two additional messages.

Unknown: We met at Orchid a few Fridays ago. Danced a bit. Had a drink at the bar.

Unknown: I ended up getting your number from your brother Jude. He’s an old friend. And since I had such a good time with you, I wanted to reach out and see if you’d be interested in meeting up for a drink this weekend. I’d love to continue what we started. ;)

I can appreciate the sentiment, but without sounding like a dick, I still don’t remember her.

That’s because there’s only one woman you remember from Orchid.

While I decide whether I need to kick Jude’s ass for giving out my number to random women, I move my focus to a text from my mom.

Mama Winslow: Ty, what time are you picking me up?

Tonight is one of our monthly mother-son date nights, and the plans include surprising her with a fun dinner at Tavern on the Green. It’s one of her favorite restaurants, and it’s been over a year since we’ve gone.

I also plan to do a little reconnaissance on Wendy Winslow’s online dating adventures.

Apparently, she’s already started an account on TapNext, and while it’s no booty-call Tinder buffet, it’s not exactly Christian Mingle either.

Me: Your handsome, wonderful, fantastic, and most favorite child will pick you up at 7:00.

Mama Winslow: You know I don’t play favorites, Ty.

Me: Oh, I know, Mom. ;) Your secret is safe with me.

Mama Winslow: You’re incorrigible.

Me: See you at 7.

Emails are the next item on my to-do list, and while most of the shit in my inbox can wait until Monday, there’s one email in particular that stands out above all the rest.

I click it open without hesitation.

To: Professor Winslow

From: Rachel Rose

Subject: ENG 101 Short Essays & Grading Rubric

Good afternoon, Professor Winslow,

I’d like to get a head start on grading the short essays for your ENG 101 class. Can I get them from you before I leave campus today?

Also, a grading rubric would be helpful. It’s one item I haven’t managed to locate in the Google Drive or the files you’ve already given me.

Thanks,

Rachel Rose

Graduate Student, NYU English Department

TA to Professor Winslow

Yesterday, I told her she would be tasked with grading the short, handwritten essays I assigned to my ENG 101 students and gave them until three p.m. today to turn in. In this digital age of Microsoft Word and Google Drives, there was a lot of grumbling over the handwritten part, but it was a fairly easy assignment—a two-thousand-word review of Anna Karenina—and one I thought would be a good start in getting Rachel’s grading feet wet.