Page 27 of Rewrites of the Heart

Who was she fooling? It wasn’t just apossibilitythat she would run into Cooper.It was a certainty.She just had to be mature about the matter and deal with it.

Alex calmly looked up from the magazine she was reading. “Something wrong?”

“I have just been guilted into teaching this term. Not fair. Not fair at all.”

She stood up, and, using what little room she had in her office, paced.

“Okay, it’s not going to be as bad as I think it will be,” she said, talking more to herself than her houseguests. She chewed on her lower lip, as she furrowed her eyebrows.Oh, God, it couldn’t be.

“I just have to go on campus, teach, hold short”—the writer stopped in mid-stride, whirled around at what seemed like lightning speed, and looked Alex in the face, shaking both index fingers at her, emphasized—“and I mean short office hours. Then I’m home.”

She continued to pace. “And all the while pray that I don’t run into or even get a glimpse of that Kennedy Cooper.”

Just the thought of seeing him again resurrected the sexual feelings she had when she sat way too close to him at Nan’s.

The feelings—no, admitting to the feelings—frightened her. If she were honest, she’d confess she took notice of him long before she bumped into him.Okay, I saw him walk in and thought…JJ stopped there.

She stopped pacing. “Aghh!”

Blake and Alex looked up at her and then at each other, exchanging smiles. Alex deliberately set the magazine aside and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all. I’m going to take a cold shower. I’ll be back.”

Chapter 21

Memories flooded JJ as she wended her way across the quad of University of Northern Ohio toward Mundain Hall, the home of the history department. The tree-lined quad, the old stately buildings, imposingly sprinkled around the green expanse, the traffic of students swiftly changing classes, lugging the ubiquitous backpacks created a flashback to her graduate days. And then there were the squirrels—both brown and black—that dotted and dodged the quad, resembling windup toys sprung too tightly. They reminded her of the many times she had shared her outdoor lunch with them.

She not only earned her doctorate at this university, but she also had taught here for several years. In so many ways it had been home—and probably always would be in her heart.

That was due mostly because of the chair. And that, she told herself, was the only reason she was back.The only reason I’m risking another chance encounter with that impossible man. I’m only doing it for Dr. Chare.

Keep telling yourself that, kiddo. You’re not doing it because you’re the least bit curious about the extent of the chemistry you think Kenn Cooper and you may have. No, not at all. Don’t acknowledge your femininity, your sexual needs, and your ultimate need to be loved for who you are. Nope. None of that played a role in the decision.Sure, keep telling yourself that.

She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn’t see the couple crossing the quad in the opposite direction and bumped into them.

“I’m so sorry,” JJ said. “Are you okay?”

“We’re fine,” the woman said. “It was our fault. We’re trying to get to the psychology department. Could you point us in the right direction?”

JJ took a double take at the couple. They looked like they had time traveled from the 1960s. The woman wore a peasant blouse and a long paisley-printed skirt. A peace-sign dangled around her neck. The man looked even more out of place, with hair tightly curled and a tie-dyed shirt as was the fashion a half century ago. Both wore reflective aviator sunglasses.

Then the two hippie-clad characters suddenly looked horrified and peered over their shades at the same time. They looked at each other and sprinted away.

“Such odd behavior,” she said out loud. You don’t see students dressed like that every day, she thought, thinking about the hippie vibe. She turned around to give them one last look. At the same moment they turned to catch one last glimpse of her.

“They look strangely familiar,” she said. “But I just can’t put my finger on it. I wonder if I know them from somewhere. They remind me of…”

It was now her turn to look shocked and horrified. “No, it couldn’t be,” she assured herself, “it just couldn’t be them.”

Once across the quad, she tried to clear her mind. She put aside the past and pushed the dread she felt about the possibility of running into Cooper aside and concentrated only on the present.

She found the department’s office to be much like she remembered. Deb sat at her desk, working at the computer and no doubt screening the chair’s calls as well as his visitors. The bank of faculty mailboxes was on the far wall, along with several copies of the school newspaper,The Daily Digit,on a table.

After making small talk with Deb and greeting Dr. Chare like a long-lost parent, she got her room assignments.

“The first class,” Deb explained, “is in Room 134, right down the hall here, but you know where that is. And I’ve put the syllabus in there already. You should feel right at home. One of the texts for the course is your book.” Deb paused. “When you’re done with classes, I’ll show you to your office. I think you’ll like it.”

She thanked Deb and headed for her first class, chuckling. This would be different. She had never used her own book as an assigned reading before.

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