I scoffed. “He kissed my forehead.”
“For. Ten. Seconds.”
“Anyway, it was nothing. I hit my head, and he was just being nice. Nothing more will happen. Because there is nothing going on.”
Jill cackled.
“What?”
“Kat. Seriously. You always fall for the hot ones.”
“Who doesn’t fall for the hot ones?”
“True.” We jogged past a pair of twentysomething guys running shirt-free. “Nice abs,” Jill called out, and the guys gave her a thumbs up. Jill was such an actress — she never had a problem speaking her mind or standing out in a crowd.
“Besides, how do you know he’s hot?”
“I looked up his picture. I looked him up too because I know you’re all Miss Resistance when it comes to Internet stalking, but I’m not. You know he’s single, right?”
“He’s twenty-eight. I’m not surprised he’s not married yet.”
“No, I mean he’s really single. Broke up with some publicist type he was dating on and off for a few years.”
“It if was on and off, it’ll probably be on again. Plus, allow me to remind you that – “ I slowed down and made a megaphone with my hands “– He. Doesn’t. Like. Me. Hello? Don’t you remember why I started My Favorite Mistakes?”
“Of course. But people change. And he’s clearly realized the error of his ways.”
“Look, I can’t mess up this mentorship. I know this makes me a freak, but I actually like my parents and want to help them. So I’m all-work-and-no-play-Kat for the fall.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” she said playfully. “And don’t worry. I like your parents too.”
“Good. That’s why I can’t even go there,” I said, in between heavy breaths from running.
“No. That’s why you have to be smart about it. Strategic. So whatever happens will have to be a secret. Between you, him, and me. And when you kiss him again, just make sure no one sees you,” Jill said, then gave me a big wink.
I shook my head, but I was smiling at her persistence, even though I knew I couldn’t take chances, whether anyone was looking or not. I had too much at stake, most of all my own bruised heart.
Chapter Six
I knocked on Professor Oliver’s door, but it was wide open. He was that kind of a teacher. The door was never closed.
“Come in, Ms. Harper,” he said, and gestured to the chair near his desk. “I’m delighted about the assignments this semester, and I hope you are too.”
“That’s why I’m here, actually. While I have the utmost admiration for Mr. Leighton and all that he’s achieved as a chief executive at his company, I’d very much prefer a mentor in the retail sector,” I said.
Professor Oliver cocked his head to the side. “But Mr. Leighton is a perfect match for you.” I winced at the words perfect match. Sure, I knew Professor Oliver didn’t intend anything by them, because he wasn’t talking match in the romantic sense. In fact, entanglements were expressly forbidden. He’d posted an image of a stop sign on his class Web site and the sign read: “No Mentor-Protege hanky-panky. Or else an F.” That was how he wrote, with words like hanky-panky. But it was the or else an F directive that scared me.
I pressed forward. “I had really hoped Lacey Haybourne, who founded the skateboard line, would be the best pair-up for me. We’re both, essentially, in the fashion industry,” I said, adding more details on why the change made sense.
Professor Oliver nodded thoughtfully as if he were considering my request, and I felt like I could exhale for the first time since Bryan had walked into the classroom yesterday. That I wasn’t going to spend the next three months encased in some sort of dormant anger. Professor Oliver picked up a fountain pen that reminded me of one I’d seen at the upscale Elizabeth’s department store recently. He twirled it between his thumb and forefinger. “Let me shed some light on why I made the match. For My Favorite Mistakes to grow and become a powerful jewelry brand, you’ll need to learn about scale. About production. About manufacturing. That’s the field Mr. Leighton is in. And what I think your business needs most is this sort of —” Professor Oliver paused as if to consider the words, “— horizontal learning.”
Horizontal learning.
Damn.
I knew he meant our businesses had shared attributes, though Bryan’s was, of course, multinational. Still, I issued a warning to my brain. Don’t go there. Don’t imagine anything else horizontal with Bryan Leighton. Don’t picture him laying you down on a hotel bed and taking off all your clothes. Don’t even think about his lips on you.
“I understand sir. I just think —”
“Ms. Harper,” Professor Oliver said gently, but firmly closing a door on my final effort. “Bryan Leighton will be your mentor, and it will be great for you. Thank you for your understanding.”
I was clearly dismissed. I turned to leave, deflated that my negotiation skills were sorely lacking, and frustrated that I’d have to spend three months with someone I’d spent five years trying to forget.
“Oh, one more thing.”
I looked back, and he handed me a business card with a phone number. “My wife wants to give one of your necklaces to a friend. They’re going to be huge, your jewelry. Can you give her a call?”
“Thank you, sir.”