Gravity (Greenford #2) - Romeo Alexander Page 0,28

professor who had, at some point in his life, apparently been cursed by what he referred to as a Voodoo priestess. It was Sam’s belief that the guy had simply annoyed someone in a country where the religion was practiced and had jumped to a conclusion. Either way, the man apparently walked around with half a dozen good luck charms on him at all times, though sometimes he was a little confused on what constituted a good luck charm and what didn’t.

“The vinegar-soaked rose was my favorite,” Sam told him as their meals were placed before them. “Smelled awful, and I like vinegar.”

“In your food, maybe,” Caleb said with a laugh.

‘Yeah, not on some half-deaf old man who has to stand practically nose to nose with you because he refuses to believe he needs a hearing aid,” Sam snorted, spearing a piece of his roast chicken.

‘Not a good cologne,” Caleb agreed.

Sam sighed. “Well, that’s pretty much all I have for gossip. There’s other gossip, but that’s less to do with eccentric people being eccentric, and more people’s other business and everyone passing it around.”

Caleb nodded. “I knew a few people like that back at my old place. Most were pretty good about keeping their mouths closed, or at least trying not to be obvious about gossiping. Others just...didn’t.”

“Yeah,” Sam sighed. “They’re pretty bad at the university sometimes. I can steer you away from them, but they’re going to talk if they catch the slightest hint of something juicy. Doesn’t matter if you talk to them or not.”

Caleb poked at the remaining pieces of his steak. “I’m sure they’ll find plenty to talk about with me if they dig hard enough.”

“Does Dean Thomas’ secretary know anything about you?” Sam asked with a wince.

Caleb hesitated and then sighed. “She was the one who did the initial interview and played go-between for Dean Thomas and me. So she probably has all the information and probably gossip.”

“Then she’s going to pass it along,” Sam told him with an apologetic wince.

“Kind of figured based on the way you were acting,” Caleb said, trying for a nonchalant shrug. “I guess it was bound to get out eventually. There’s always a way to find out about other people’s business in the modern world.”

“Yeah, bit of a lost cause,” Sam said slowly, avoiding looking Caleb in the eye.

Caleb rolled his eyes, giving a small smile. “You can just ask, you know.”

Sam winced. “I’m not even going to ask if I was being obvious because I probably was.”

“Only a little,” Caleb promised him with a wink.

Sam sighed. “And I promised I wouldn’t ask.”

“And now I’m inviting you to ask if you want to.”

“Okay, what happened?”

“I got married,” Caleb told him, reaching for his drink and thinking he might need a third round to get through this conversation.

Sam’s motion to bring the last of his food to his lips paused. His dark eyes bore into Sam’s, blinking rapidly as he let that bit of information wash over him.

“I...see,” Sam said slowly, setting the food down. “To a man or a woman?”

Caleb shrugged. “I’m sure you can guess. You know me well enough.”

“Right, you’ve never been all that romantically interested in women, just sexually,” Sam said. “So a man. And since you’re not wearing a ring on your hand, I’m guessing you’re no longer married.”

“No, divorced,” Caleb told him, pushing his plate away. “His name was Nick, and I met him while I was working at my last job. He was in an HR position at the facility while I was an instructor and trainer. Ended up meeting at some faculty get together I was dragged to, and we hit it off.”

Nick had been lighthearted, easy to laugh, and possessed a wicked wit, which were all things that had drawn Caleb to him. There was an element of sharpness behind the man’s blue eyes, but for a couple of years, Caleb rarely saw it. They had been good together for a while, they’d had fun, and they’d enjoyed one another.

“We got married after a year of seeing one another. He’d moved in with me after six months,” Caleb continued to explain.

He wasn’t surprised to see Sam wince. “Moved a bit fast, wouldn’t you say?”

Caleb eyed him. “You know me, Sam. When you feel something is right, you shouldn’t wait around to take it, you should just take it.”

It had always been Sam who’d put the brakes on or eased back on the gas. Despite the man’s seemingly easygoing, lighthearted ways, there