Page 145 of Give In

Uh oh.

I stopped and turned to face Damien and Brooks. “Yes?”

Damien’s expression was professionally blank. “Mr. Crosby will be out the remainder of the week. Would you mind emailing him your notes and the assignments?”

Wait, what?

I got a good job. Damienwantsme to talk to Brooks.

I’ve entered The Upside Down.

Smiling at Brooks, I nodded. “No problem. Hope everything’s okay.”

“It’s good, I’m just going out of town,” he said. “I was gonna ask you about the notes in class, so thanks.”

Ready to quit while I was ahead, I turned and nearly slammed into Professor Peters. “Oof, sorry.”

“My fault,” he said, stopping to join our group.

Throw some confetti, it’s an awkward party.

I took a few discreet steps back but froze when Professor Peters looked at Brooks and me. “Sorry, I know you’re probably wanting to get as much time with him as you can before he leaves, but I need Caine for a few minutes.”

Before he leaves?

What?

“Ben—” Damien started, his voice tight, but Peters kept talking.

“Are the students as upset as we are about losing Caine? Not that we blame him—hard to turn down that kind opportunity.”

No. Okay. But really…

What?

“And if it goes well, you’ll be able to tell people the new governor’s Chief of Staff was your professor.”

My eyes flew to Damien’s. I wanted to see confusion or amusement as he explained the misunderstanding.

But I knew I wouldn’t.

His expression was locked down, cold and calm in a way I hadn’t seen since before we were us. “Ben, I haven’t told,” he glanced at me, his mask slipping for just a millisecond to show his regret, “my students yet.”

Peters grimaced. “Sorry, I thought you’d announced it. I’m sure they’ll respect your privacy and keep this between us.”

‘Thenewgovernor’s Chief of Staff.’

Mynewboss’ Chief of Staff.

Would that make him my boss, too?

I saw red.

I’d always thought that was a figure of speech, but as my temper erupted, I literally saw red.

That asshole.

I physically shook with anger, my jaw clenched hard enough to hurt. “Of course,” I gritted out, “I’m good with a secret.”

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