Page 66 of Wish You Were Mine
Lucy blinked at me, obviously confused why I was suddenly talking science nerd. So I gave her a barely-there nod toward the door, hoping she’d understand we were on display.
Her eyes widened slightly in understanding.
“Yes,” she said, recovering smoothly. “Thank you. I think I’ll be able to complete the assignment now.”
“Perfect,” I said, just as Dean Harris appeared in the doorway. “And of course, if you have any questions over the weekend, feel free to email me.”
Dean Harris stepped up beside her. “Miss Archibald?”
Lucy turned, smiling politely. “Hi.”
“I didn’t recognize you for a second,” the Dean said. “Are you taking a class from Professor Park?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Intro to Chemistry. He was just helping me with an assignment.”
“Perfect.” Dean Harris beamed. “Professor Park is an excellent teacher. You’re lucky to have him.”
“He’s been very helpful so far.” Lucy shot me a quick glance, her lips twitching like she was trying not to smile too hard. “Thanks again, Professor Park. I’ll see you in class next week.”
“Yes.” I cleared my throat, trying to keep my voice neutral. “Have a good weekend. Good luck on your meet in Michigan.”
She paused, giving me a slightly puzzled look.
Right. Because she’d never told me where she was competing this weekend.
Because I’d done that little bit of research on my own.
Which meant I’d just outed myself for looking up her schedule.
Fantastic.
19
LUCY
When I got backto my apartment, it was quiet. Peacefully, gloriously quiet.
Nora had mentioned she had a study group tonight, so I wasn’t surprised. Still, the silence felt like a small gift after a day that had pulled me in seven different directions. I dropped my bag by the door, kicked off my shoes, and flopped onto the couch to scroll through my phone for a minute.
When my screen lit up, I was surprised to see a message from“Theo’s friend.”
Eek!My stomach did a back tuck at the sight of the nickname I’d given Owen when I added him to my contacts.
I swiped up to read the message.
Theo’s friend: Hey, sorry for getting weird when Dean Harris showed up. I’m clearly great at panicking around people who can fire me.
I laughed softly, shaking my head as the image replayed inmy mind—Owen standing in his office, suddenly flustered and talking about some chemistry concept that was over my head.
It was kind of cute.
Okay, really cute.
And honestly? Totally understandable. Dean Harris definitely had that whole “stern but fair" energy that could make anyone sweat.
Which is probably why he and my dad get along so well.
I typed out a quick response.
