Page 22 of A Twist of Faith
Several heads popped up with Rainey’s comment and Dee’s face grew warm. She squeezed her hands together in her lap. The temptation to bury her face in her hands sent a twinge through her fingers. Not exactly the type of information she hoped to build her reputation in academia. Her stomach twisted another knot of discomfort.
“It’s certainly been memorable.”
“Memorable?” Rainey laughed, full and without reserve. “Well, we can offer you memorable if nothing else.”
“Amen to that.” Dr. Ryken added.
“Oh, you poor thing. What an introduction,” Paige added.
“Just don’t come to my house, Adelina.” Lizzie shook her head. “My mother is bent on marrying off as many single women as she can before God takes her home. And she’s not too picky about the matches either.”
“Might I interject?” Dr. Ryken lifted a hand. “She doesn’t focus solely on single women.”
“Oh, that’s right, Teddy.” Rainey flatted her palms against the table with a chuckle. “The Irish organist.”
Lizzie waved her hand like a warning flag. “Don’t worry, Dee. I’ll keep Mom away from you, but I can’t promise the same kind of protection from Rainey’s family.”
Dr. Russell cleared her throat. “Ladies, I believe this conversation can be continued at your lunch break.”
“Right, Shaye.” Rainey slid Dee a look. “Lizzie’s mom scares Shaye to death too.”
The group laughed together. The collegiality bounced off the walls and hit her with the renewed sense of her place as an outsider. Nothing new. She’d been lookinginfor years, it seemed. But maybe now, with an earned doctorate, she’d find her place?Proveher place.
“In the back, we have Dr. Devansh Khatri, whose specialty is voice and adult swallowing.”
“Call me Devan.” He stood and took her hand, devilishly handsome with his dark olive skin and jet-black hair and eyes.Yep, he gives off all the bad boy vibes.“It’s easier to say in America.” His Indian accent curled his vowels in an intriguing way that reminded her of Dr. Kadakia at UVA, the cognitive language professor who captivated every graduate student’s attention with his suave personality.
“Nice to meet you.” She took his hand.
“And finally, we have Dr. Maxwell Roberts. He is our resident audiologist who will provide some adjunct courses for our students.”
Dee pulled her hand from Dr. Khatri’s and focused on the copper-haired man at the end of the table. He sent a nod of recognition before returning to his computer.
“We have a challenging year ahead of us and I expect everyone to be ready to give one hundred percent to this program.” Dr. Russell turned to Dee, her gaze needling her point. “Though we are collaborating with UVA, we need to succeed in our own right as a department and program.”
Dee swallowed down the sour taste of fear and breathed in confidence. She could do this. Shewoulddo this. One small step for Ransom’s program, one giant leap for Dee’s future.
“All faculty members must create their own clinics for graduate training.” Dr. Russell continued. “As many of you know, The Tolliver Center is a solid resource for clients, particularly the pediatric population, and might prove a helpful starting point for those of you who are newer to the area. Caseload numbers should be accounted for by the end of next month with clinics ready to begin in January.”
Dee’s throat closed. Caseload? How was she supposed to develop a caseload? She didn’t have any contacts in Ransom, let alone the names of facilities that treated adults with speech disorders or accent modification needs.
“No problem, Shaye.” Rainey Mitchell perked up and turned her attention to Dee. “I would guess you don’t have a lot of contacts yet, Dee. The Tolliver Center has loads of kids who need services. I can take you over to start some screenings next week, and Lizzie’s clinic at the rehab center would be a good place to pick up some more clients. Adults, even. We all have a lot to do, you know. It’s good to have some help when you’re new and green to all this.”
A defensive edge rose in response to Rainey’s words. She wasn’tgreen. Simply because she was new at being a professor didn’t equal new to giving therapy. Dee’s budding frustration sprouted horns. “I’m certain to be tasked with learning the ropes of my advanced position, so your help would be most appreciated,Ms.Mitchell.”
Dee inwardly cringed at the sound of condescension lacing her words. Had she really just drawn attention to Rainey’s mere master’s degree? Out loud? In front of the whole room? She sounded like Alex Murdock on a really bad day.
Her stomach dropped. She never wanted to be like him, not even a little. That mental acknowledgement sent Dee’s emotions reeling into shameful regret. Perhaps Rainey didn’t pick up on the tone?
No such luck. Her golden brows perked high and the smile in her eyes faded. Dee wanted to cry on the spot. Rainey Mitchell didn’t deserve the wrath of Dee’s insecurities.
“Right. I see.” Rainey tapped the notebook in front of her, gaze unswerving. “Let me know if you change your mind. We’re always in need of people who want to serve others at the Tolliver Center, but only those willing to get dirty and make a difference need apply.”
Dee squeezed her eyes closed a moment and prayed to sink into her chair. She could practically feel the heat from Dr. Russell’s disapproval.
“And since you are the liaison for us to the main campus in Charlottesville,” Dr. Russell added, “we’ll need to schedule regular meetings so we can send reports once a month to note progress. The grant has specific protocol for success—andfriendlycollaboration is key to that success.”
Notes of resentment with a crescendo of warning highlighted each syllable of Dr. Russell’s speech.Perfect. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with an enemy who had more power than she did, an offended coworker, and a cattle farmer with enough vowel changes to take-up yodeling. This didn’t bode well at all. What was the old saying about catching more flies with honey?
