Page 67 of Bachelor

I glanced at my watch. “Only ten minutes.”

“That’s fine. I just need a moment.” He motioned toward my office.

I raised a brow and unlocked my door, ushering him inside. He sat on one of the chairs and folded his hands in his lap while I leaned against the desk. “How can I help you?”

“I hate that I’m even having to ask you this, Rhys. You’ve been a spectacular addition to my department.”

My stomach started to twist as he continued. “But there’s been some rumors swirling the last few days. I’m sure you’re aware.”

“I’m aware.”

Robert nodded, looking exceedingly uncomfortable as he blew out his breath. “I have to ask. Is any of it true? Are you involved with one of your students?”

“I am not,” I replied with calm. It was a half-truth. Whitney wasn’t my student anymore. She wasn’t even in the same department I was employed under.

He seemed relieved. “Good. I didn’t think so, but it was my responsibility to ask for clarification. So, help me clear some things up, will you?”

“What do you want to know?”

“A student in the business department seems to have a vendetta against you.”

“Christian Brockford?”

“Yes, that’s the one. He’s come to the administration a few times about you, starting last semester. He gave a tip that you’d been involved in illicit activities with a student on campus, who turned out to be his girlfriend, Whitney Dahl. News spread about their breakup and it was decided his complaint simply stemmed from whatever lovers’ spat those two were in at the time. Some revenge, I suppose. You were a target because of your popularity among the young women on campus, and the complaint was dismissed.”

“I see.”

“Well, this semester there was the issue in the gym between him and another student, one of your graduate students.”

“Yes, Tyler Bakken.”

“Yes, Tyler, who is his fraternity brother and used to be on the lacrosse team before he graduated last year. You were there, in the gym, for the fight?”

“I separated them.”

“I see.”

I pushed off the desk and crossed my arms over my chest. “Tyler is one of my best students.”

“But you didn’t go to the administration about the fight? He did punch Christian in the face.”

I rolled my neck, my jaw clenched. “Tyler was defending another student.”

“Who?”

“Whitney Dahl.”

“Hmm.” Robert pulled a notepad out of the inner pocket of his vest and scratched a few notes on a page. “What was said exactly?”

“Exactly what you’d expect a slighted man to say about an ex-girlfriend who ended their relationship. Things I’m afraid I’m not comfortable repeating for her sake.”

“It was that bad?”

“Yes.” I shifted my weight. “Look, I’ve been around long enough to know that Gatlington student body is unique. That these students come from families where things are done differently in terms of relationships and expectations for the young women involved, especially. Ms. Dahl ended what sounded like a betrothal, some archaic engagement contract she was stuck in against her will, and it threw Christian into a tailspin.”

Robert eyed me for a moment and nodded. “You’re right about the student body here. They can be entirely awful.”

“And Christian is being awful to anyone who gets close to what he believes is his property, faculty and townspeople included.”

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