Gravity (Greenford #2) - Romeo Alexander Page 0,6

adjusting his suit jacket. “I think it’s just practical. Otherwise, I’d lose my mind.”

Change had always come easier for other people, and those that were better at it tended to be at odds with Caleb through most of his life. Mostly, he’d avoided people who were prone to enacting change around them, either purposefully or simply because of who they were.

Ironic when he considered how being back in his hometown was all too strong a reminder of the only man he’d ever fallen in love with…twice.

Dean Thomas shifted in his seat, leaning forward. “I understand that Greenford was not your first...or perhaps even fourth choice.”

Caleb tensed, forcing a smile on his face. “I cannot pretend that I left Portland under positive circumstances.”

“Or very willingly, I’m sure,” Dean Thomas said, not unkindly.

Caleb nodded. “I’m afraid that I’m sure you’ve heard quite a lot already. And there isn’t much I can do to alleviate any concerns that might have arisen from...hearing one version of events.”

The dean chuckled. “Believe it or not, I didn’t hear all that much. Considering the personal nature of what brought you back to Greenford, I chose not to indulge in curiosity.”

Caleb looked down, nodding. “It was very personal.”

“As former spouses tend to be,” the man said with an air of knowing. “By all accounts, you’ve been forced to start over.”

“That is,” Caleb said tightly. “Very true.”

As well as being reductive to the point of over-simplistic. His savings were entirely gone, and he’d had just enough money to move across the country with his few meager belongings and put down the necessary deposit on a tiny one-bedroom apartment that sat over a bar.

That was the price he paid for having chosen badly with love, although his ex-husband would tell him that’s what he deserved in general. Caleb had seen relationships go bad, but he had never imagined how his relationship with Nick could have gone from bad to horrible, finally sliding into an explosion of toxic waste that Caleb thought would follow him for a lot longer than it had already the past year.

Dean Thomas held up his hands. “I don’t mean to drag up anything difficult, especially when things have been hard enough on their own. My point was that you can consider your new job here as a new start as well, hopefully, one a lot fresher and cleaner than having to move across the country due to personal problems.”

“I certainly hope so,” Caleb said sincerely.

His marriage had officially ended just over a year before, and he was still suffering from its implosion. Nick had taken everything he possibly could from Caleb, from their shared condo to the new truck he’d bought only a few months before the divorce papers had been served.

That hadn’t been enough for Nick, who had taken the erosion of their relationship and destruction of their marriage personally, as though Caleb had set out to destroy it. Once he’d taken just about everything Caleb had, forcing him to live off friend’s and co-worker’s couches, then Nick had tried his hardest to ensure Caleb would lose his job as well, the final nail in the coffin.

And to Caleb’s growing fury, it had worked.

“I’ll be honest, I was a little surprised you accepted my application,” Caleb admitted. “But considering you didn’t...uh…”

“Pry?” Dean Thomas offered.

Caleb gave a small smile at that. “Inquire, which would have been your right. But seeing as you haven’t done that, your acceptance makes a great deal more sense.”

The dean nodded, then glanced toward his computer. “In truth, there were a number of factors. That you spent part of your time in higher education here, with excellent grades and a few notable moments of participation in the student government and different fundraisers, certainly helped. That you continued your GPA up until your Masters, finished up your Ph.D. and came with an excellent recommendation from your last job, well, the results spoke for themselves.”

Caleb’s head jerked up, unable to conceal his surprise. “Recommendation?”

Dean Thomas chuckled. “Surprised? I imagine you would be. But your immediate supervisor, a one, Charlie Craft, bit of alliteration on that one, highly recommended you.”

Caleb absorbed that factoid for several seconds. He and Charlie had always had a good working relationship, but he wouldn’t have called them friends. Charlie had been in charge of the facility where Caleb had worked as both a therapist and educator for different health and fitness workshops. It had been Charlie who had finally let him go, and though Caleb had sensed a great deal