Finn, Amber - Her Prized Student (Siren Publishing Classic) (9 page)

Avery slowly sat back up and blinked her eyes a few times.

“How could this happen, Dr. McKenzie? I’ve been so careful!”

“Well, Avery, the odds are extremely low, but the pill is only ninety-eight to ninety-nine percent effective, depending upon which one you were taking. It has happened before, and now it has happened to you. I hate to ask you this, but do you know who the father is?”

“Yes, I do. Unfortunately, I just broke up with him.”

“Oh, dear. Any chance of a reconciliation?”

“No, I don’t think so. It will be just me and this baby.”

“Avery, are you sure you want to do that? You have no idea how hard that is. Believe me, I know. I was a single mother until I met my husband.”

“Really? I didn’t know. Well, look at you now. Besides, there are plenty of women out there doing it without help—I can, too. I am not going to get back together with the baby’s father just for his help. I am stronger than you think. I have a full-time job with a flexible schedule. I can do this. I can.”

Dr. McKenzie looked at Avery with concern. “Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?”

As Avery pulled into her driveway, she was still digesting the news. It was a complete shock, one that she was unprepared to handle at the moment but had no choice in making it a top priority. Blake would have to take a backseat while she figured out what to do about the baby. Thankfully, the house would not be a problem. She had plenty of space. Full-time teaching at a university and childcare would be an issue. This needed to be addressed. She would have to speak to Amelia. She was surprised when she got in the house to find a message waiting for her from Amelia already. She couldn’t know about the baby.
What could this be about?

* * * *

Avery arrived on campus mid-afternoon. Dr. McKenzie suggested carrying small snacks with her to keep food in her stomach at all times. If she didn’t let her stomach get empty, the nausea would stay away. So far, for the first three hours, it had worked. She went straight to Amelia’s office and knocked on her door. Amelia opened the door within seconds of Avery’s knocking. Amelia did not greet Avery in her usual manner. As Avery walked in, she noticed Dr. Kenneth Scofield, the Assistant Chair of the English Department, sitting on the couch and not looking too happy. Avery felt the apprehension from this morning return and had a feeling this meeting would not end well.

“Sit down, Avery.” Amelia beckoned to the empty chair in front of her desk. Amelia sat behind her desk and pulled out a folder. “Avery, I’ve asked you here because Ken has brought to my attention some accusations about you and Blake Emory. Someone left these photos in his mailbox.”

Amelia opened the folder on her desk and showed Avery photos of her and Blake at her house on her back patio in a passionate embrace. When Avery looked up at Amelia with tears in her eyes, Amelia said, “I’m sorry, Avery.”

Ken stood up. “You’re sorry? This is reprehensible, Dr. Jackson. We have rules against this sort of thing for a reason.”

Avery blanched at his reference to their relationship as “this sort of thing”—especially knowing that she was carrying Blake’s baby. Thinking of the baby reminded Avery that she was now responsible for another being. She was not about to let Ken Scofield scold her about a loving relationship because of rules that were the result of someone else’s relationship that got out of control.

Avery stood as well. “Dr. Scofield, this relationship was between two consenting adults who were not only above the age of twenty-one but were also both college graduates. The intent of this policy was to prevent inappropriate relationships between faculty and undergraduates, yet for some reason, it was written to include the graduate students as well. It was an overreaction on the university’s part.” Avery paused and took a deep breath as she looked between Amelia and Ken. “Nevertheless, we knew the policy and broke it. I will go clear out my office now. Thank you for the opportunity. I am sorry this didn’t work out.”

Without another word, Avery turned and walked out.

Chapter Six

Avery stood in the middle of her office after going to the local office store for boxes. She was determined to keep moving. If she stopped, she was afraid the reality of the situation would hit her and she would end up in a ball on the floor crying uncontrollably. She tried to convince herself it was the hormones, but she knew it was because she was scared to death about the prospect of having lost her job and finding out she was pregnant within twenty-four hours of each other. While she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, do anything about the pregnancy, she could do something about her recent unemployment. After packing up her office, Avery decided she would contact the department chair at Weston University, where she received her doctorate. Weston had been good to graduates in the past, and Avery was a star student.

With a plan in place, Avery packed swiftly and efficiently. She hoped to get out of the department without seeing anyone. It was to her advantage that summer break had begun, and most of the faculty had already left for their holiday vacations. Avery got the boxes to her car and came back to the office to do one last sweep before leaving her keys on the department secretary’s desk. She was on her way out when Amelia came knocking at her door.

“Oh, good! I’m so glad I caught you before you left. I am so sorry things had to end this way, Avery. I had no idea Ken had those pictures. I never would have pushed you to get back together with Blake if I had known, honest. Did you tell him what happened? He must have been furious!”

Avery interrupted Amelia, “Amelia, stop. He doesn’t know what happened because I haven’t talked to him since I’ve returned home. We are not back together. It isn’t going to work—the two of us, that is.”

“But why? What happened? He’s
crazy
about you. I don’t understand.”

“Well, apparently he wasn’t crazy enough about me to say no to…” Avery paused. As much as she disliked the fact that Blake let Leslie come to his home and attempt to seduce him, she felt that should remain between the two of them. While Amelia was Blake’s aunt and Avery’s friend, she was also the department chair and would not take kindly to learning that Blake had even just a close encounter with an undergraduate. Avery continued, “…to that ‘other woman.’ She did try to seduce him but only got as far as kissing him before he asked her to leave.”

“Well, that is disappointing,” Amelia conceded, “however, how many men his age do you know would have shown a woman to the door after she had offered herself?”

Amelia stood and hugged Avery.

“Where will you go?”

Avery always considered herself an honest person, but she knew if she told Amelia her plan, Amelia would tell Blake. “I thought I would go to the MLA this year and put my name out there. Will you give me a reference if I get any bites?”

Amelia nodded sadly. “The best. I’m going to miss you, dear.”

She turned and left Avery’s office, leaving her standing by herself in the empty room. Avery never felt so alone in her whole life.

* * * *

Blake drove up Avery’s driveway, not quite sure what he would say when she opened the door. They had not spoken since the conference. He had not been able to get her out of his mind and knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Avery. He prayed she would feel the same when he proposed. Blake knew Avery was upset that Leslie came to his apartment. He should have told her about the visit. But in his own defense, she wouldn’t even take his calls. If she had, would he have mentioned it? He was calling her about the conference. Blake had to get Avery to see the past was in the past, and that she was his future.

He got out of the car and dread overcame him. The house was too quiet, as though Avery hadn’t been here in quite a while. Blake thought it would be best to give her some space after the conference and went to visit friends. He hadn’t been home in over a month. Maybe he waited too long. He peered in the windows and saw an empty living room. His dread proved true. But where would she go? She loved this house and had classes this semester. Maybe she decided on a bigger place. She did say she would have liked a bigger backyard. He decided to go to the university to see if his aunt knew anything or if there was any information at her office.

Blake arrived at Avery’s office and saw the door standing open and felt relief at first, thinking she was inside probably hard at work. When he reached the door, his relief turned to panic as he saw that her nameplate was gone and the office was cleared out. He walked inside in a daze.

“I don’t understand,” he said aloud.

“She’s gone, Blake.” Blake turned quickly to see his Aunt Amelia standing in the doorway. “She’s gone. I tried to reach you, but your cell phone message said you couldn’t be reached.”

“Yeah, um, I was with friends in the mountains. No cell phone service,” he said distractedly. “What happened? Why is her house empty and her office cleared out? What the hell is going on here?”

“Don’t raise your voice with me, young man. Remember who you are talking to,” Amelia reprimanded Blake.

“I’m sorry, Aunt Amelia. I’m just stunned and a bit scared. I think I may have lost the woman I love forever.”

Amelia sighed. “Oh, Blake. I wish I could tell you where she is, but I honestly don’t know. Right after she got back from your conference, Ken Scofield showed up in my office with incriminating pictures of the two of you. Someone took pictures of you two in an embrace in Avery’s backyard. No, I don’t know who.”

Amelia held her hands up to stop Blake from saying anything more as he tried to interrupt her.

“Anyway, I was forced to call her in. Ken was going to take the pictures to the dean and the president. Before Ken could even lay into her, she stood up to him and basically told him she was not sorry about your relationship and that the rule was stupid. You should have seen her, Blake. She was marvelous. She put Ken back in his place. He was speechless. Before I could say anything, she quit. She had her office cleared out by the end of the day. I asked her where she was going to go, and she said she would check out any leads at MLA. She asked me if I would give a reference if she found anything, but I haven’t heard from her. I’m so sorry, Blake. I have no idea where she went. She wouldn’t leave a forwarding address or number. I don’t think she wants to be found.”

Blake hung his head dejectedly.

“There’s one more thing, Blake. She didn’t look good when she left.”

“What do you mean she didn’t look good?”

“Well, she was pale and she kept going to the restroom to get sick. I was really worried about her.”

Blake looked alarmed at the description. “She was the same at the conference. What am I going to do? I’ve got to find her. I’ve got to know if she’s okay. She’s got to know how I feel.”

“Come to my office, honey. I have an idea.”

* * * *

Avery was relaxing on a lounge chair on her lanai. Avery loved Florida. Weston University was on the west side of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. Avery loved the year-round warm temperatures and sunny days. She remembered walking on the beach in January and sleeping with her windows open in July to feel the hot breeze. Still only in her first trimester, Avery wasn’t showing, so the pregnancy wasn’t causing any discomfort other than the nausea. She asked Dr. McKenzie to recommend a doctor in Florida, and he had given her a prescription to help with the nausea. This was the first time Avery was able to eat comfortably. She stretched and thought about the past four weeks. It has been such a whirlwind that this was the first time she’d had to sit and think about things.

Avery was grateful Dr. Carl Baylor was able to give Avery a position in the department at Weston when she called. It was not a tenure-track position, but it was full-time in the composition section. She called the realtor Carl recommended and chose a three-bedroom home right on the beach. She decided to rent for the moment as her home up north still needed to be sold, and she would have to hire full-service movers. She packed up what she would need for one week and let the movers do the rest. She drove herself to Weston, Florida in two days, and two weeks later she was relaxing on the lanai. She loved being able to walk out to the beach whenever she wanted and thought about raising her child here.