CHAPTER 34
KENDRICK
My meeting with the Board of Trustees went smoother than I thought it might when I learned what it was about. They were surprisingly very understanding and sympathetic about my family and recent divorce.
What wasn’t surprising was that Dr. Matthews was ready to send me packing based on his interpretation of policies and unspoken rules. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the Board seem to be fans of mine. They’ve always been largely supportive of everything I’ve wanted to do.
I don’t think it’s personal with Dr. Matthews. He’s always come across as black and white. There’s no middle ground. Absolutely no grayscale. In his mind, workplace romances are in bad taste and against policy, written or not.
That’s not the way company policies work, though. They’re not up for interpretation depending on who’s reading them. In the end, and in a different series of words, I have the Board’s blessing to continue to see Brevan while he’s still a student on campus.
I wasn’t giving them a choice. They could accept my relationship, or they could find a new provost. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve personally sacrificed far more for this job than most people would even consider an option.
It’s been fifteen minutes since the end of the call and five since Byndley left my office. I’ve been rubbing my eyes, wondering what to do next. I’d love to call Brevan and tell him about my divorce. I need to tell him about this call with the Board, too. I can’t do that over the phone, though.
A knock on my door makes me look up. It opens without prompting, which is unusual, even for Byndley, who sticks her head in. Even before she speaks, I can tell something is wrong.
“There’s a student here. He insists on talking to you. He says it’s urgent and about Brevan. Not an emergency but urgent.”
My heart drops. Fuck.
Maybe my first thought should be a concern for his safety. But given the events of the past hour, I don’t think that’s the case at all.
I get to my feet and follow her to the waiting room, where Morlan looks incredibly harassed. There’s a student standing at the end of the hall waiting for me. I don’t recognize the student at all.
“Hello,” I greet, offering him my hand.
He looks at me shrewdly before taking it.
“I’m Horace Beech, Brevan’s friend. He’s been called into HR…
” Horace’s eyes flicker to Byndley and then behind him to Morlan.
“I think you understand that Brevan’s ability to read people is lacking a little and we’re afraid that the current, uh, situation has been leaked, and he’s not going to do well when being questioned by HR with a whole bunch of questions he doesn’t understand the root of. ”
Fuck.
“Thank you, Horace. Morlan, I’ll be back in a bit. Cancel, reschedule, do whatever you need to until I get back.”
“Yes, sir,” he answers. I can hear the confusion in his voice.
“Byndley—” I meet her eye and do something that I’ve absolutely never done before. “Come with me?”
She smiles and inclines her head. “Of course.”
I’m not sure why I feel like I need support right now. It’s more than just the fact that she supports me and that she’s a witness to the fact that the Board ‘approved’ our relationship. She’s my friend. Perhaps my only friend. Her presence is comforting.
Horace follows us into the elevator. He glances up at the camera before speaking.
“Our friends Lane and Wulfe are there, but they’re in the waiting room.
We sent Coach Lemon in since your guy at the desk refused to relay you a message.
That’s why I came in person. No offense, Dr. Keller, but you should be more available to the student body. ”
Byndley turns her attention to the buttons to hide her smile. “You’re correct,” I say. “I’ll make sure that happens.”
He nods as the door opens. Once we step outside, I ask, “Did Brevan tell you about… us?”
Horace smirks. “Not in so many words. We know Brevan very well, and while he was vague enough at ‘I’m seeing a guy I shouldn’t be’ and that it began during your Iceland trip, there were only so many options given that there’s no reason he can’t see a student, and Dr. Weaver is involved with Whitty.
Process of elimination leaves you, Dr. Keller. ”
I huff in amusement. “Very well. I’m glad he has friends like you. I’ll make sure he’s okay.”
Horace nods. He gives us a wave before he jogs off.
“Seems to me like Brevan has some very good friends,” Byndley says, a smile following Horace’s progress as he disappears around a corner.
“It does.” Warmth blossoms in my chest. I’ve thought Brevan has such a sweet soul since the moment we first spoke. To know that he has good friends looking out for him makes me extremely happy.
We continue toward the Magnus Hirschfeld HR Building, a short walk away. Miss Marny gets to her feet as soon as I step foot inside.
“Good afternoon, Miss Marny,” I say, bowing my head in her direction.
“Good afternoon, Dr. Keller.” It’s clear that she didn’t expect me to show up and certainly not unannounced.
“Brevan is still with Dr. Boden?” I ask.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t disclose—”
“Yes, he is,” a voice calls from the other side of the open room. I look at the two young men standing in front of the chairs. Giving Marny a nod, I turn in their direction.
“Hello, gentlemen,” I greet, offering them my hand. “Kendrick Keller. This is my friend and assistant, Byndley.”
They shake our hands with smiles.
“I’m Lane. This is Wulfe. I’m glad someone could finally reach you.”
“I’m sorry for the trouble. Morlan was doing his job, and because he didn’t know about Brevan, he didn’t relay the message,” I say.
“You have been in a meeting all morning,” Byndley points out.
“You’re not actually in trouble, are you?” Wulfe asks. “I feel like that goes against our Love is Love motto.”
I smile. “We’re not in trouble.”
“You didn’t get fired, right?”
“I didn’t get fired,” I agree. “I’m not even sure the policies will be changing as a reflection of these circumstances.”
“Good. They shouldn’t. We face discrimination on who’s acceptable to love all over the world, and this is supposed to be a place outside that,” Wulfe says.
“Byndley, can you make a note of that quote?” I ask.
Byndley smirks. “Already have.”
Both men grin at us.
“How long has he been in there?” I ask, glancing at Celia Boden’s door.
“Forty minutes. Coach arrived twenty-five minutes ago, so I feel better about him being in there so long,” Lane says as he frowns at the door.
“Coach Lemon Frost?” Byndley asks.
“Yes, he’s fiercely protective of his athletes,” Wulfe says with a wide smile while rocking on his feet.
“You sent in Papa Bear,” Byndley muses.
“Absolutely. Brevan was already freaked out, and they weren’t going to let us bust up in there. Besides, it sounded as if Coach had already anticipated this happening.”
“Ah. Brevan told your coach in the same way he told you,” I muse.
“More or less,” Lane agrees.
Byndley and I take a seat in the waiting room to wait. Since Coach already worked his way into Brevan’s meeting, there's no need for me to go in with guns blazing. I’ll just be here when he’s released.
I’m not surprised this ends up being a long meeting. I’m not even upset about it. HR is doing their job, and I will absolutely recognize that. I will even praise them for not letting my position within the university cause them to look the other way.
We’re all on our feet as Dr. Boden’s door opens. Celia steps out first, and her eyes meet mine. I can see her wariness. Ready to defend. Coach comes out next and immediately takes us all in. I hold my breath as I wait for Brevan.
He’s looking a little worse for wear. His eyes are on the floor, but when he steps into the hall, he looks up. No doubt looking for his friends. He’s not expecting me, so his eyes get wide. His footsteps falter for a few steps, and then he’s walking toward us.
“Kendr—uh, Dr. Keller?” Brevan asks.
I offer him my hand, and he looks at it for a moment before placing his in mine, and I pull him close for a hug. He sighs. “I’m sorry,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. “I didn’t know they were going to bring you in while I was still talking with the Board of Trustees.”
Brevan pulls back and looks at me with alarm. “Are you fired?”
“No, sweetheart.” I brush my fingers through the hair that’s growing too long and getting in his eyes. “I’m not technically breaking any rules. There’s no reason to fire me.”
He sighs with relief. With his hand still in mine, I tug him gently toward me again, and he readily wraps himself around me. Everyone is silent as they watch and wait. Maybe waiting for me.
Celia has taken several steps closer. Coach stands beside his other two athletes with a smirk, hip jutted out and arms crossed over his bright pink crop hoodie.
I meet Celia’s eyes. “Thank you for doing exactly what you should be doing,” I say.
I’ve caught her off guard, but only momentarily. However, she relaxes as she holds my eyes. “I don’t believe anyone should be outside of being held accountable,” she says.
“I agree. Your dedication to keeping RDU safe for everyone is one of the reasons I’ve always been a big supporter of yours, Dr. Boden. Keep up the good work.”
She smiles and bows her head. That smile falls when she looks disapprovingly at Coach Lemon. “I believe you’ve broken at least eight rules, Mr. Frost.”
Coach shrugs one shoulder. “As it turns out, I don’t care. I’ll break whatever rules necessary to make sure my kids are treated with respect and understanding.”
“As Dr. Keller just stated, it’s my job to make sure everyone is held accountable for breaking the rules. That includes you,” she counters.
“I don’t change my statement,” Coach says.
“I’ll take whatever discipline you’d like, however, I’d also like to propose disciplinary action against you for bringing Brevan in and not taking into account his understanding of the words you’re saying to him.
” He presses his hand against Brevan’s back gently.
“You’re looking out for his well-being in one instance while also disregarding it in the same breath.
You should be protecting our students’ mental health just as much as their federally protected rights, Dr. Boden. ”
“Mr. Frost—”
“He very clearly didn’t understand what you were asking him,” Coach says with irritation.
“It doesn’t take a psychologist to have figured that out while talking to him, considering you’d already listened to him answer you for fifteen minutes before I arrived.
There are laws against this kind of thing, Dr. Boden.
That’s why suspected criminals are entitled to lawyers who do understand the questions you’re throwing at them, however you want to phrase the question.
The least you could have done is offer Brevan to have someone with him so he’d have the same assurance. ”
Brevan is still in my arms. I can feel his heart racing as I hold him close, though I think he’s holding his breath. I glance at Byndley, and she flicks her eyes to our students present. They don’t need to be part of this.
“Okay,” I say, interrupting their argument.
“Let’s revisit this tomorrow. Dr. Boden, continue doing your job just as you’ve always done.
I’m proud of how you handled this situation concerning the suspicions against me.
Coach Lemon is also correct, though his approach could maybe use some improvement. ”
“I asked nicely first,” Coach says, once more crossing his arms. “I will always fight for my students, Dr. Keller, to make sure they understand what’s happening around them, especially when they’re the ones being spoken to.
Frankly, I don’t care what kinds of rules I have to break to assure them they always have support on their side. ”
Byndley smiles, though she covers her mouth with her hand to hide it.
“Understood. Again, let’s pick this up tomorrow.
Byndley will be in touch once we get back to our office to schedule a meeting.
You both did the right thing, whether we’re talking legally correct or morally correct.
We need to find a middle ground, but this isn’t a conversation to continue right now. ”
“Very well,” Celia says. “Marny will await your call, Miss Horship. Have a good afternoon, everyone.”
I watch as she retreats down the hall. Brevan sighs into my neck. “Let’s go home, Brevan.”