I had to fight back the smile that threatened to cross my face. The old lawyer obviously thought he was dealing with a greenhorn. Jake was about to show him that an Ivy League education was worth every penny—even if it had been mostly paid with the various scholarships he worked his ass off to get.
“Let’s have a seat and talk this out,” the lawyer said, gesturing to the chairs. Dean Scribbs eyeballed Tessa in her seat at the head of the table. Tessa smiled sweetly in return as the woman glared.
Jake pulled out the paperwork he had prepared, where the rule was highlighted, and various examples of case law were referenced. “We are asking Tessa be reinstated to return to school and pick up where she left off.”
“Absolutely not,” Dean Scribbs said in a snide voice. “She has been expelled and is lucky I have allowed her to return to campus at all. This institution has far higher standards, and I can assure you we have many students that would appreciate the opportunity more than Miss McShane did.”
Jake cleared his throat. “Your actions were without merit. Per your own rules, there was no violation. Therefore, you have no grounds to expel her. She will return to class tomorrow.”
Dean Scribbs turned red and glared at the lawyer, willing him to speak. Withering under the angry gaze, he finally spoke up. “Now, son, making demands is not the way this meeting is going to be conducted,” the lawyer said, holding up his hands.
Jake looked at him. “You fix it today or we’ll be going to court and Tessa will be awarded more than enough money to finish her education elsewhere if she chooses.”
The dean slammed her open hand on the table and stood up. “I don’t think so! This is ridiculous!”
Tessa looked up at her, and I knew she was about to say something. I met her eyes and gave a slight shake of my head. This was Jake’s game. He would win it if we could keep our emotions in check.
“I suggest you review the document I put together, Mr. Hendricks,” Jake said, sliding a copy of the paper across the table. “You will see that I’ve put our cards on the table and stated our intent very clearly.”
After reading the document, the lawyer asked for a few minutes to confer with the dean. They stood and left the room.
“Well?” Tessa asked Jake.
“It’s in the bag,” he replied. “She’ll put up a fuss, but they really don’t have any legal grounds to expel you. If they stick to the expulsion, we’ll sue. That will cost them far more than her eating a little crow and getting through one more semester.”
Tessa nodded, looked at me, the stress of the moment overwhelming her bravado. I smiled. “Hang in there a few more minutes; it’ll be okay.” Trying to reassure her, I pushed aside the fear in my gut that it would not go our way, and I’d end up losing her. Somehow it would have been better if I’d been fired outright.
Finally, after what seemed a very long time, the dean and the lawyer came back into the room. It was very evident the dean was not happy.
“Well then, in order to expedite resolution of this matter, Miss McShane may return to school tomorrow. She will not, however, be allowed to remain as a teaching assistant to Professor Dunlap,” the lawyer stated.
“What about the credit?” Tessa asked.
“You will receive the credit for this semester, however, you will need to pick up another class for next semester. You will not be granted any assistant teaching positions,” he explained.
The dean turned to glare at me. “You will not be coming back here next year. We expect better from our professors,” she spat out.
I laughed. “Dean Scribbs, that makes me very happy. I would be more than happy to leave tomorrow if you wish.”
The lawyer shook his head. “No, you signed a contract. We expect that to be fulfilled.”
I nodded. “Fine, but you,” I said, pointing to the dean. “Stay out of my way. If a student has a problem with me, you bring him, and I’ll bring him,” I said, pointing to both lawyers in the room. “I think it’s safe to say we cannot have a proper discussion about anything at this point.”
“Fine,” she seethed.
“If we could just get all this in writing and signed by all parties involved, I think we can call this case settled,” Jake said, standing. “Agreed?” he asked, making eye contact with everyone in the room.
“Yep,” Tessa said with a smile.
The dean stepped out and returned a few minutes later with the documents that reinstated Tessa as well as my resignation effective at the end of the year.
We walked out of the building, and I felt great. Tessa was grinning ear to ear, her arm around my waist as we strolled down the sidewalk that was packed full of students and faculty.
“Thank you, Jake. You’re my hero,” she teased.
“No problem. I’m glad to have helped, and I’m especially glad you got this big oaf to lighten up and have some fun,” he replied. He looked at me. “So, is it back to consulting or you going to look for another teaching job?”
“Consulting,” I answered, without hesitating. “My taste for teaching has been tainted for now. Maybe down the road, but I would prefer to avoid people like the dean for a nice long while.”