grabbing coffee and talking. In fact, he was pretty sure he’d spotted one of his colleagues doing just that on the way in. The only reason he felt even mildly guilty about it was because he knew the thoughts he harbored for Audrey were less than professional…but nobody else had to know that.
“I have a question for you today,” Ronan said as Audrey set down a coffee for herself and took the seat across from him. “I’m still determined to find something you don’t know.”
“Tell me.” She took a sip of her coffee.
“There’s an animal that holds a Norwegian army rank. What type of animal is it?”
“Oooh, good one.” She looked stumped. “I know their national animal is the lion, but something tells me that isn’t right.”
Ronan tore a piece off his muffin and popped it into his mouth. “Final answer?”
“I don’t know.” She laughed. “You have actually stumped me.”
“Finally!” Ronan pumped his fist into the air. “It’s a king penguin.”
“I doubt he’s served.”
“Uh, no. Brigadier Sir Nils Olav III currently resides in the Edinburgh Zoo. It’s a fascinating story. You should read up on it.”
“Deanna will love this. You don’t mind if I repurpose this quiz question for my morning fact tomorrow?”
“Be my guest.”
“She’s obsessed with penguins.” Something about the way she said it sounded almost…sad.
It was then Ronan noticed a hint of blue and purple under Audrey’s eyes, as though she hadn’t slept much. In fact, while Audrey didn’t usually wear a lot of makeup, she always had this air of being fresh and put together. Today, she seemed worn out.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Of course.” She nodded and cradled her coffee cup between both hands. The ceramic was a swirling mix of pale pink and white, giving an almost tie-dyed effect. There was an imperfection in the glaze, a tiny bubble that Audrey rubbed her thumb over as though it soothed her. “Actually, I’m glad you came in today.”
Ronan suddenly felt something heavy in his gut, like he’d swallowed a boulder. His intuition was never wrong. “What’s going on?”
“I, um…well, the reason I missed class…” She licked her lips, stalling. “I won’t be coming anymore.”
The breath rushed out of his lungs. Shit. How could he have been so stupid as to kiss her? He knew it was dangerous. He knew she was off-limits. And she felt so uncomfortable that she didn’t even want to attend his class anymore. God, he could kick himself.
“Audrey, I’m so sorry about—”
“It’s not that.” She cut him off, her eyes darting over his shoulder. “Trust me. I have no regrets. None at all.”
He frowned. “Then why? I thought you were enjoying the class.”
“I am…I mean, I was.” She shook her head. “But I can’t keep doing it.”
“Why?” He felt like a toddler, but it pained him to see Audrey struggling with something. She clearly loved learning, and she was a brilliant student, from all he’d seen of her work thus far.
“I can’t afford it.” She sighed. “My family situation is…tough. I’m supporting my brother and sisters, and my father isn’t working. Spending money on a night class is a frivolous expense.”
Were those her words or someone else’s? Because they sounded hollow. Rehearsed.
“Learning isn’t frivolous.”
She let a soft smile drift across her lips. “Of course the professor would say that.”
“I’m not talking as a professor now. I’m talking as a friend.” That was a stretch, wasn’t it? He’d only known Audrey a few weeks, and one shared trivia victory did not a friendship make. Still, there was something between them. He knew that much.
“I appreciate the concern, but that doesn’t change anything, unfortunately. I’ve withdrawn my enrollment, and I’m no longer a student at Harrison Beech.”
There was a weight to her words—she was no longer a student. No longer his student. The words lodged in his brain, circling like vultures.
“You deserve to be here,” he said stubbornly.
“Yeah, I do.” She nodded. “But realities must be faced, and that means that I have to spend the money I earn more practically.”
“What if I paid for you?”
She shook her head. “One, I don’t even know if that’s allowed. It could be a huge ethics breach. Secondly, I don’t take charity.”
She was right; it was probably an enormous breach. But the words had skated out of him without triggering a single sensible thought in his head—all he wanted was to help her have what she deserved.
She deserves more than taking a night class here and there. She deserves to take her life and her education as