Page 116 of Hit the Ground
I nodded. “It is. And we better get in there, or we’re going to miss the beginning.”
She tugged on my hand. “Caleb, we can’t just go in there. We…I…”
“We can, darlin’. It’s all been arranged. Turns out, Professor Astor is something of a romantic.”
The minute Jesse had mentioned Rhys Astor, the foremost expert on theShadow of the Isletrilogy, who taught a class analyzing it at Savage U, an idea had sparked. It had taken a few emails and a phone call, then we were in.
“Professor Astor,” she breathed. “He’s teaching this class?”
“Of course.” I took her chin between my fingers. “You ready?
“Oh my goodness,yes.”
We sat at the back of the room, behind students young enough to be my kids. I held Alice’s shaking hand in mine as the professor strode into class. In his late fifties, his once-red hair was mostly white. He wore a crisp button-down, a waistcoat, and pressed slacks. Wire-rim glasses sat on his nose. I’d skipped going to college, but this guy was who I would have pictured as a literature professor.
As much as I’d enjoyed reading the trilogy, I’d come here for Alice, who’d been so inspired by these books, she’d written her own. They weren’t published yet, but she’d finally let me read them, and like everything she did, they were incredible. Now she needed a push to share them with a wider audience. Maybe today would do it.
When Professor Astor got talking, I was on the edge of my seat as much as Alice. She was hanging on his every word, and I was right there with her. My thoughts were provoked as he discussed the symbolism in the story, making me want to read it all over again.
At the end, he waited for us in the front. Alice held my hand with both of hers as I led her to him. She was trembling, and I knew her well enough to recognize it was from both nerves and excitement.
I held my free hand out to him. “Professor Astor.”
“And you have to be Caleb.” He shook my hand. “Call me Rhys, please.”
“Nice to meet you, Rhys.” I pulled Alice in front of me. “This is my wife, Alice Kelly. She’s the one who introduced me to this world.”
Rhys’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at her. “I hear you’re a librarian. I have a special fondness for libraries. It’s where my relationship with my wife, Delilah, began.”
“Books can be very romantic.” Her voice quivered, but she held herself straight and as tall as she could.
Rhys’s smile was kind. “That I agree with. The written word is capable of evoking all manner of strong emotion, and romance is undoubtedly one of them. Now tell me, Alice, how did you enjoy my class?”
“Well, I wish I’d been able to sign up for it when I was actually a student here. As you know, it always fills up as soon as it opens.”
He chuckled. “Yes, I’m quite popular, aren’t I?”
That made Alice laugh. “You are, and for good reason. I’ve read your book, of course, but there’s nothing like getting to listen to your analysis in person.”
It was my absolute pleasure to watch them volley back and forth about their theories and interpretations of the story. My Alice was a book girl, and right about now, she was in heaven. Knowing I’d been the one to give her this—to put that smile on her face and light the flame in her eyes—was more than enough for me.
Too soon, Rhys checked the time on the watch he had tucked in the pocket of his waistcoat.
“As much as I’d like to keep this discussion going, I have office hours I need to get to,” he announced.
We walked out of the classroom together, Alice and Rhys chatting all the way to his office. There, we stopped outside his door. He shook my hand again and gave Alice a hug.
“I heard from Caleb the two of you read the trilogy together,” he said.
Alice nodded. “Caleb read it to me. It was kind of how we really started…”
Rhys rubbed his chin. “Another thing we have in common. I wooed my wife by reading to her too.” He circled the air near Alice’s bump. “It seems you’re expecting.”
“We are,” she confirmed.
He hummed. “You didn’t ask for my advice, but I’ll offer it anyway. Delilah and I have six children. They’re all adults now, and it’s just us again at home, though we have a constantly revolving door of children and grandchildren coming through.” He waved his hand. “That isn’t the point. What I’m saying is, I never stopped reading to her. Even in the thick of parenting our brood, we found time for the thing that helped us fall in love with each other.”
“Appreciate the advice,” I said, intending to take it.
