Page 73 of Love and the Laws of Motion
“Can everybody quit worrying about it?I promise, I have it under control.”She wasn’t quite as confident about that as she sounded, but right now, she had bigger problems to focus on.“Nick’s not even the problem.”
Gemma tipped her head to the side.“Then what’s wrong?”
“I’m pretty sure Dr.Langley has it out for me.”
“Is he that douchebag with the Italian loafers I met when I went to that lecture thingy with you last year?”Jess asked.
“That’s him.”Briefly she outlined how Langley had been promoted to Acting Chair and had abruptly changed her lab assignment on the flimsiest of pretexts.
“It’s not fair that he’s playing favorites with his own research assistant,” Jess said.“But unfortunately there’s probably not a lot you can do about it.The power imbalance in the university system is huge.”
“I don’t think he did it to play favorites with Peter Hockman.Honestly, I don’t think he even likes Peter.”
“Then what’s it really about?”
“He wanted me to drop Janet’s research and work on his.I said no.”
“And you think he’s doing this to punish you?”Jess pressed.
“A few months ago, I’d have said it was impossible.Nobody in science could be that petty and underhanded.”
Jess snorted in disgust.“Dream on.”
“But now?I don’t know.”
“What are you going to do about it?”Gemma asked.
“I don’t know that either.Like Jess said, there isn’t a lot I can do.I guess I have to keep working on the research as best I can and hope Janet recovers soon.”
Jess and Gemma exchanged a dubious look, which Livie pretended not to see.She was fully aware that she was clinging to a very thin hope, but she wasn’t ready to let go of it yet.Because if she let go of that hope, then she’d be facing a problem she had no good solution for.
Spudge lifted his head from the linoleum floor and let out a soft woof before scrambling to his feet and lurching away toward the front door.
“That’s got to be Nick,” Gemma said.“He’s the only person besides Dad Spudge is psychically attuned to like that.”
Sure enough, Nick strolled into the kitchen a moment later, Spudge fast on his heels.He was smiling, brimming over with that contagious energy Livie found so infuriatingly irresistible.
“You’re all here,” he said.
“Been out mining bitcoin from a payphone?”Jess teased.
“Very funny.Actually, I’ve been out apartment-hunting.”
The words hit Livie like a blow to the chest.
“Apartment-hunting?You’re moving out?”
She should have known.She should have expected this.Once they’d crossed this line, he was sure to get antsy and run.But she’d gotten lulled by his kisses and his body and the crazy things he did to her.What was that phrase Jess’s friend Lina used to describe it?Right—dickmatized.So drugged by the good dick that you stopped paying attention to the problematic guy attached to it.He’d dickmatized her and she’d never seen him inching toward the door.
“I can’t hang out in your spare bedroom for the rest of my life,” Nick said, dropping into the chair to Livie’s left.“Don’t get me wrong, you’ve all been great.But Iama grown-up.Time to get back out there.”
Gemma nodded approvingly.“Good for you, Nick.”
“And you found a place?In New York?”Jess asked.“That fast?”
Nick shrugged.“When you’re willing to throw a bunch of money at a problem, you can solve most things fast.”
Jess rolled her eyes.“Yeah, I’ve seen that in action.You should see Alex’s dad operate.”
