Chapter Three
Anxiety twisted in Marin’s stomach as she stood before her bathroom mirror, putting the final touches on her makeup.
She hadn’t expected to be this nervous about her first day at her new job.
She was only an adjunct professor, teaching two classes.
The stakes were relatively low, but regardless, she really wanted today to go well.
It was a big deal, walking away from her former career and dipping her toes into something new.
She wanted to succeed, both at Northshire University and with the other ventures she was pursuing here in Vermont.
It was time to make her mark. As she’d learned two years ago, tomorrow was never guaranteed.
Blowing out a breath, she returned her makeup pouch to the drawer beside the sink and walked to the living room for her purse.
As she picked up her phone, she saw a text from the new contact she’d saved yesterday.
Charlotte Danton: Good luck today!
Charlotte Danton: PS this is Charlotte in case you didn’t save my # yet
She smiled as she also noticed a flurry of activity in her sibling group chat.
Her brother Jed had been the first to wish her luck, but the rest of her siblings had chimed in soon after.
Even a few of her nieces and nephews had texted, wishing her well.
How sweet. She sent quick thank-yous to everyone, then tucked her phone into her purse and walked outside to her car.
Marin was grateful she lived close to the campus, especially since she didn’t have an office there to use between classes.
Technically, she and two other adjuncts had been assigned an office to share, but it meant each of them only really got to use it for office hours or meetings.
Other than that, she would do all her prep work and grading at home.
She parked in the faculty lot, then picked up her briefcase to begin the walk to Ziegler Hall, where her classes would be held.
Today, she’d be teaching Introduction to Statistics, which was held on Mondays and Thursdays.
On Wednesdays, she had a three-hour-long course—Data Analysis Using Statistical Software.
Next semester, she hoped to pick up more classes to supplement her income, but two classes were enough to ease her back into the workforce for now.
With her settlement from the accident, she would be able to buy her new home outright instead of having a mortgage, which meant her living expenses would be relatively small.
Still, she hoped to eventually be a full-time professor, if her injuries allowed her to push that hard. She had to stay in tune with her body and be mindful of her limitations. Thinking in terms of flare-ups and pain management was still a relatively new concept for her.
It was brutally cold outside this afternoon, and she felt it in every one of her healed fractures but particularly in her right thigh.
The January breeze bit into her cheeks and whipped through her hair.
Consequently, Marin arrived at Ziegler Hall feeling windswept and sore.
She ducked into the ladies’ room to touch up her appearance, then took the elevator to the third floor and walked to her classroom.
She blew out a cleansing breath as she made her way to the lectern at the front of the room.
This was something she’d always wanted to do, and she couldn’t wait to see the classroom filled with young faces.
She wanted to show them that statistics weren’t boring, that they could be exciting once you learned the power behind them.
The first student, a young woman in a pink puffy coat, entered the room and gave Marin a shy smile. She returned it with a friendly wave.
Ten minutes later, the classroom was filled with eager students. Well, “eager” might be overselling the level of enthusiasm Marin saw on their faces, but she was enthusiastic enough for all of them.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” she began. “I’m Professor Easterly, and I presume you’re all here for Introduction to Statistics?
” She swept her gaze around the room, seeing a few students nod.
No one got up and left. “Good. Now, I’m not sure if I should admit this to you or not, but this is my first semester teaching. ”
She raised her eyebrows for effect, hoping for a few smiles or even laughs in response, but the students mostly just stared, looking bored. Yikes. Tough crowd.
“I’m a statistician by trade, and I spent twenty years working at a financial firm in Manhattan, so not only am I here to teach you some interesting ways you can work with numbers, but I can also introduce you to potential career options.
Please come see me during office hours if that interests you. I’d love to help.”
Still nothing but bored expressions on their faces.
Marin did her best to shrug it off and move forward.
“Now, let’s take a look at the syllabus for this semester.
” She clicked a button on her laptop, relieved when the correct slide appeared on the screen behind her.
She considered herself good with technology, but it was Murphy’s Law that something would go wrong with the presentation on her first day at a new job with a room full of students currently forming their first impressions of her.
An hour and fifteen minutes later, Marin sent them on their way, feeling exhausted but hopeful.
Sure, the students hadn’t been as lively as she might have liked, but still, she’d enjoyed herself.
Her corporate job had begun to bore her to tears.
She’d dreaded going to work every morning.
If today was any indication, she wouldn’t have a boring day as a college professor.
If only she could figure out how to get her students more engaged . . .
“Professor Easterly?”
She looked up at the sound of her name, glad she hadn’t yet given in to the urge to rub at the ache in her right thigh. Standing around in heels—even low ones—had been a foolishly vain decision. She smiled at the young man in front of her. “Yes. Noah, right?”
“Yeah. Um, I wanted to talk to you about career options like you mentioned, but I looked at your office hours in the portal, and I’m not on campus on Tuesdays.
I’m a commuter. I help my mom on our family farm when I’m not in class .
. . um. You don’t need to know that.” He looked uncomfortable.
“I was wondering if there’s another time you’re available? ”
“Sure, Noah. We can definitely find a time that works.” She pulled up the shared office-availability form on her phone. “Would you be able to meet me on Thursday before this class? Say one thirty?”
His face brightened. “Yeah, that would work. Thanks so much, Professor Easterly.”
“You’re very welcome. I’ll see you then.”
She watched until he’d left the classroom, feeling a hundred times better about the class now. For a minute there, she was afraid she’d bombed on her first day as a professor, but she’d made an impression on Noah, and that was a win.
Marin shifted her weight to her left leg.
Flats. Maybe even orthopedic ones. She rolled her eyes at herself, but she’d decided on the day she finally went home from the hospital that she’d never again feel anything about her body other than gratitude.
She could live with the aches, pains, and scars.
Hell, she celebrated them because she was alive.
She tucked her laptop into her briefcase, then bundled up in her coat for the walk back to her car. She had just enough time to go home and change before her next appointment.
Because Marin was about to meet a litter of puppies, and she couldn’t fucking wait.
“Leave your shoes at the door, please.” A harried-looking woman about Marin’s age stood before her in a long-sleeved shirt and leggings. She’d introduced herself as Susan, the puppies’ foster mom. “They haven’t had their vaccines yet, so they could be vulnerable to germs you track in.”
“Of course.” Obediently, Marin took off her sneakers and left them by the door. Already, she could hear puppy sounds, yips and squeals and the scuffling of paws.
“They’re five weeks old right now,” Susan told her. “So they won’t be ready to go home for about three more weeks.”
“That’s fine. I’ll need time to buy supplies and learn how to care for a puppy.”
Susan gave Marin a guarded look. “You haven’t had a puppy before?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never had a dog, but I’ve always wanted one.
I’m recently divorced and looking for a new companion.
” She paused, feeling an uncharacteristic need to explain herself.
“I’m a statistician, so I assure you I know how to conduct research, and I plan to learn everything I need to know about puppies. ”
“Good, because puppies are a lot of work, and I want to make sure they’re all going to great homes,” Susan said.
“You’d be surprised how many people fall in love with them when they’re tiny and cute and then return them to the shelter in a few months when they’ve turned into big out-of-control teenagers. ”
“That won’t be me,” Marin assured her. “I’m one hundred percent committed to having a dog, and I’m prepared for the rough spots. I take my responsibilities seriously.”
Susan smiled. “Okay, come and meet them. Their mom is a black lab, but that’s all we know about their pedigree. She was rescued from a house fire shortly before she gave birth, and her family couldn’t afford her care, so they surrendered her. Anyway, we gave the puppies fire-themed names.”
“That’s adorable,” Marin said, “but is their mom okay? Was she injured in the fire?”
“Only minor injuries, thank goodness. A few small burns and scorched foot pads. She’s fully recovered and already has her forever home lined up, just as soon as they’re weaned. She’s in here.” Susan led her into the living room, where a black dog waited, tail wagging. “This is mama Raven.”
“Hi, Raven,” Marin said, unsure how she was supposed to greet the dog. She really did have a lot to learn.