Page 3 of Falling for the Enemy

“I agree. I’ll go to his office and see if he has some news about the grant. I’ll be right back.” Norm finally looked up from the microscope. I’d hoped to get past him without any interaction. I sensed a complaint coming on, and I already knew what it was about.

“Associate Professor Sinclair should be demoted,” Norm said. “I’ve got a good mind to complain about him to Dean Harper. Do you know he all but threatened to do me bodily harm?”

“He told you he’d stuff your head in a beaker if you didn’t shut up,” Ian said. “I’m pretty sure he was just joking. Your head is way too big for a beaker.”

I shot a raised brow at Ian. He smiled. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”

“Well, I’m back now, Norm. How are you coming along with those slides?”

Norm sighed to let me know he’d been working extremely hard, though that was rarely the case with him. “I’m halfway. Perfection can’t be rushed.” Thus far, I’d not seen anything close to perfection in Norm’s work.

I clapped my hands together and rubbed them. “Right. Well, carry on. I’ll be back in a few minutes and then we can go over what you’ve done so far.” I hurried out before Norm could continue his diatribe. I walked down the hallway to Professor Brimley’s office. Brimley was the head of the Life Sciencedepartment at the university. He was in his sixties and therefore constantlyconsideringretirement. He always wore cardigan sweaters and ties, and I rarely came upon him when he wasn’t sucking a peppermint. He was kind and intelligent, and I liked having him in charge.

I reached his door and lifted my hand to knock. My knuckles fell through the air as the door was yanked open. Suddenly I was face-to-face with Jack Sinclair, and he was wearing a dark scowl. He mumbled something to himself as he rudely pushed past me.

I watched him march away; his broad shoulders taut with tension. I turned back to the office. Professor Brimley was just unwrapping the cellophane from a peppermint. He shook his head as I stepped inside. “Was it something I said?” I asked jokingly.

“Nope, it was something I said.” His bushy brows had been furrowed, but with the fresh mint in his mouth, a smile formed. “I have some great news. The grant your team applied for was approved.”

“Oh wow! That is great news. The group will be so excited.”

The new look on his face told me there was something else, and it wasn’t as brilliant as getting the grant. Brimley opened a folder and took out a paper. “There are some stipulations. There need to be at least six grad students and two staff members on this trip. It’s a substantial amount of money, and the Costa Rican Research Institute wants a good-sized team to ensure the job will be done properly. I don’t need to tell you that the rainforest near the La Selva Biological Station is teeming with unidentified fungi species. It would look very good for the school if your team was able to find and classify some of those yet-to-be-discovered species.”

“Where will we get the extra grad students and staff member? I’m sure if we talk to them and explain that I have a great deal of experience in the field?—”

Brimley was shaking his head before I could finish. “I mentioned that to the grant committee when they called. They want a bigger team, and if we can’t pull one together then the grant money will go to a larger university.” He set the paper down.

My earlier elation had deflated. “It will be disappointing to lose that grant.”

“Exactly, and that is why I’ve made an executive decision. Associate Professor Sinclair and two of his grad students will join you on the expedition.”

I stared at him for a second, hoping a big laugh would follow. Brimley knew that Sinclair and I were oil and water. “When Jack stormed out of here just now?—”

Brimley crunched down on his mint and nodded. “I’d just informed him. He put up a bit of a fuss—” Brimley cleared his throat. “Understatement, but I’ve made my decision. Now, I must ask you—will that work, or do I let the grant committee know that we’re turning down the opportunity?”

None of it was ideal, but I envisioned two entirely separate camps with the Sarapiqui River in between. “No, it’s fine. I’m sure we’ll manage. I’ll go let the team know.”

“Probably a good idea because you leave on Friday.”

I straightened. “As in this Friday?”

“That’s right. That way you’ll avoid the monsoon season and the torrential rains.”

I nodded. “Wow. All right. I’ll go let my team know.” I walked out feeling like a woman who’d been split in half. One side was thrilled and proud that we’d landed a nice grant that would allow us to explore some of the Costa Rican rainforest. The other side dreaded having to share the experience with Jack Sinclair. Anyone else—Scrooge, the Grinch, even Ms. Helton, my wicked high school English teacher, would have been better than Jack. I had no idea how this would work.

I walked into the lab. Everyone was working quietly at their stations. Robyn was the first to notice my return. Her white smile flashed from across the room. “Any news?”

I was apprehensive now about making the announcement. It was like telling someone we won the lottery, but we can only spend the money on socks and underwear.

“Yes, everyone, if you could put aside what you’re doing and join me here at the discussion table, I have an announcement.”

Norman’s chair scraped the ground as he got up. “We didn’t get it. I can tell by her face. I told you we should have added that data spreadsheet to give the whole thing more weight. Now some other team will go in our place.” I couldn’t help but notice the tiny bit of glee in Norm’s speech. I was sure the idea of camping in tents in a mostly wild landscape, complete with reptiles and insects, wasn’t really Norm’s cup of tea.

The rest of the team had gotten caught up in Norm’s usual negativity. Robyn’s smile vanished. “We didn’t get it?” she asked as she plopped down on the stool. Ian and Evan looked equally crestfallen.

“Actually, good news. We got the grant.”

They all stared at me as if I was pranking them.

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