Chapter 38
Ben was not prepared for the level of insanity that the fishing tournament had on the community of Clay Creek. There was still
almost a week to go before the festivities, but the town was in full decoration mode, with Mylie at the helm. She’d disappeared
from his bed that Monday morning before he woke, the only indication that she’d ever been there was the smell of her perfume
lingering on his sheets.
Ben sat down to check his email, but before he could even power on his laptop, his phone rang. A rush of anxiety ran through
him when he saw the caller ID.
“Hello, Dr. Baker,” he said.
“Dr. Lawrence!” A jovial voice came through the other end. “Good afternoon. I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“No,” Ben said. “No, not at all.”
“Wonderful,” Dr. Baker replied. “Well, the committee has met, and we’ve decided that the first week in June would really work
best for us to determine the parameters of our potential relationship.”
Ben did the mental calculation. “In one week?”
“Yes,” Dr. Baker said. “Of course, if the notice is too short, we can reconvene and pick another date.” There was a pause.
“That said, we are quite pressed for time. We’d like to have the matter of instructor settled before the second summer session
begins in July.”
“No,” Ben said, swallowing. “That time frame is perfectly acceptable.”
“Glad to hear it,” Dr. Baker replied. “I’ll have my secretary email you with the itinerary and accommodation information.”
“I’m looking forward to it, sir,” Ben said. “I appreciate this opportunity.”
“You’re the best man for the job,” Dr. Baker said. “We’ll talk soon, Dr. Lawrence.”
“Yes,” Ben said. “Have a good rest of the day, sir.”
Ben clicked the end call button and stood there in the kitchen for a few minutes, trying to figure out what just happened.
He hadn’t expected to schedule this meeting so soon. Universities usually took forever to decide on a candidate. It wasn’t
an official offer, but the request for a meeting would likely result in one. Foolishly, he’d assumed that he’d have weeks.
Weeks with Mylie.
Weeks to sort it out.
Ben looked around the house. So far, there were no offers to buy it. If he left in a week, he could always come back. Even
then, if he officially accepted the position, he’d be moving. There would be no getting around that. Which is what he wanted , he reminded himself.
He again wished he could call his mother, and at the same time, he felt angry with her—both that he couldn’t work through
his feelings with her and that what he was feeling right now was because of her, because of her demand that he come here just one more time before he sold the house. If he’d stayed in Chicago, if he’d simply told Courtney to sell without thinking twice, he’d already
be packing for the coast. Instead, he was here, reconsidering all of his life choices.
No , he told himself. No, I’m not reconsidering anything. This was just a temporary moment of doubt. He’d respond to the email. He’d tell the department head he was thrilled and thank him for the offer. He didn’t have to tell Mylie right away. In fact, she already knew about the job. He’d led her to believe it was already guaranteed. This didn’t change anything.
The phone rang again. He expected it to be Dr. Baker calling back with a piece of information he’d forgotten, but instead,
he saw that it was Courtney.
“Ben!” Courtney chirped his name before he could even say hello. “Great news!”
“Oh yeah?” Ben asked, his stomach bottoming out. “What is it?”
“We’ve got an offer!” Courtney said, her voice rising an octave in excitement. “And I think you’re going to want to accept.”
This couldn’t be happening. He barely listened as Courtney rattled through the details. How could this all be happening in
one day? He’d woken up this morning with his only plans being figuring out a way to spend more time with Mylie, and now he’d
sold the house and essentially been offered a job.
“Ben?” Courtney asked. “Are you there?”
“Yes,” Ben said. “I’m here.”
“You don’t sound excited,” she said. “Don’t you like the offer? It’s incredibly close to the ask. I thought you’d accept.”
“I’m just in shock,” Ben replied.
“So,” Courtney pushed. “Do you want to accept?”
Deep breaths , he told himself. This was the whole reason he was here. With any luck, the house would be sold in time for him to rent a place
in a new city. It would allow him the freedom to do so many things while he established himself at the university. So why
couldn’t he bring himself to say it? Why couldn’t he muster any excitement? He inwardly kicked himself.
“Ben?”
“Yes,” he said finally, his voice hoarse. “Yes, I accept.”