Page 37 of Love and the Laws of Motion
“Jesus, how long is your handout?”
“Six pages.”
Peter scoffed.“Your students must hate you.”
That was probably true.Okay, it was definitely true.Maybe she wasn’t the most popular teacher, but she felt strongly that students should be armed with as much information as possible.They didn’t have to like her to learn something.
“Hasn’t Finch bought you your own printer by now?”
“Why would she do that?”
“You guys have all that sweet grant money now.”
“Yes, for theresearch.Not so I can have my own personal printer in my office.”
Peter scoffed.“Then you’re an idiot.”
Ugh.Peter Hockman seemed to be determined to live out every misogynistic science bro horror story ever reported.He’d never hassle one of their male classmates like this.If Nick had ever condescended to her this way, she’d have kicked him off the project in a heartbeat, hot or not.
“I’m an idiot because I don’t siphon off grant money for personal use?Aside from being unethical, that would violate university policy.But I’m sure you already know that.”
Peter narrowed his eyes at her before straightening up.He was a really big guy.Not particularly muscular, but well over six feet and very broad—beefy.He seemed to take up far too much space in the tiny alcove, and she felt uncomfortably hemmed in.
“What I know is that you and Finch better not get too smug about your little windfall.”
Livie leaned back against the printer, wishing he’d back up a step, or leave altogether.“It’s not like we won the lottery, Peter.Janet’s theory is soundly researched, and our grant application was exhaustive.It wasn’t a gift, and it’s notours.The money is Skylight’s.They’re just allowing us to choose how it gets spent.”
“On Finch’s little black hole fantasy.”
She flushed, unaccustomed to confrontation and totally tongue-tied, as always.Why couldn’t she come up with a good response?Or any response at all?As she stood there, feeling furious, frustrated, and annoyed with both Peter and herself, another voice piped up from somewhere behind Peter’s meaty shoulder.
“Finch’s research could transform telecommunications.Tell me what exactly you guys are trying to do with Langley’s tired old interstellar medium research?”
Peter spun around to glare down at Michiko, who was calmly gazing up at him.She’d handed him the scathing set-down Livie wished she’d been able to come up with, and she didn’t look even a little flustered.How did shedothat?
Of course, now that the moment of confrontation was past, Livie had a hundred things to say to Peter.But her mind had been a total blank in the heat of the moment.Nick probably would have had a thousand perfect zingers on the tip of his tongue.People like him always did.
“Langley’s a genius,” Peter said.“Nobody in this second-rate school appreciates his work.”
“If you say so,” Michiko said cheerfully.“Do you need some help with the printer, Livie?I’m pretty good with it at this point.”
“Um, sure.”
Michiko paused, staring pointedly up at Peter, who had to be easily twice her size.“Um, excuse me, Peter.Can I get by?”
Peter stood there, seething silently for another minute, but finally he stormed off noisily down the hall.Livie slowly let out her breath.
“Thanks, Michiko.I don’t know what his problem is.”
Michiko shrugged, opening the front panel of the printer and flipping a few levers with practiced ease.“He’s frustrated because you’re working on something so much more interesting than him.Congrats on the Skylight grant, by the way.”
“Thanks.Well, it’s Janet’s grant, not mine.”
Michiko whipped a crumpled sheet of paper out of the printer before closing it back up with a snap.“But everybody knows you did most of the heavy lifting on the grant application.Good work.”
“Um, thank you.”Compliments tended to leave Livie as flustered as confrontations.What she wouldn’t give for Nick’s easy charm.
Michiko paused for a moment.Livie swallowed hard, once again, scrambling through her mind for something interesting to say.
