“Good Morning,” Finn Murphy said as he stood in front of this year’s fresh batch of eager students, trying to access the collection of nineteen and twenty-year-olds sitting in front of him. As he did, he inwardly sighed. While he loved being a Stanford College professor, the one part of the job he hated was freshmen.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like teaching first-year students, he just hated how needy and unsure they could be. He often compared them to the scene in Bambi, where he learns to walk for the first time; they often needed lots of hand holding and coddling. The first semester was always the hardest, but he could usually tell within the first week, who was going to excel in the class, who was going to struggle, and who was going to drop out.

Then inevitably there would also be that one girl in the class with the obvious daddy issues; the one that believed she would be the one he would break all the rules for, falling madly in love with her. This girl would make it a point of sitting in the front row of the class, being so helpful and accommodating to the point it would quickly become nauseating. Finn usually knew who she was before the end of the first class, in his mind, he would always call her Poison Ivy. Because going there would be as stupid as rolling in poison ivy.

Not that Finn would ever consider crossing a line with a student, certainly not one that wasn’t even old enough to drink. He didn’t even like nineteen-year-old girls when he was nineteen himself. No, Finn liked someone who knew who they were and didn’t need someone in their life to complete them. He preferred someone who was a grown up, not some stupid girl pretending to be a woman.

Finn would be thirty-two on his next birthday. He had been one of the youngest Professors at Stanford when he started; one of the youngest ever to get tenure, something he was very proud of. His whole life had been about getting to where he was right at that moment, so he was finally content with his life.

His mother would have loved to have seen him settled down like his brother Landen. She wanted lots and lots of grandbabies, but having five sons, each one more reluctant to settle down than the next, grandbabies, and daughters-in-law for that matter, were in very short supply.

Finn was still surprised Landen had settled down. He was sure that Dylan or Liam would be the first ones to take the plunge. Landen, and Callum were more like him, they were too stubborn and set in their ways to change for a woman. Well, that’s what Finn thought until Landen met Amelia.

Finn liked Amelia, she was sweet, funny, and exactly what Landen needed in his life. It was funny how having her around had changed the whole dynamic of his family. Growing up with just brothers, the house had been a very manly place to be. Sometimes he wondered how his mother coped with them all, but she did. Nell Murphy was possibly the strongest person Finn knew. She was a successful Lawyer in her own right, refusing to cash in on her own family name to further her career; so having a house full of boys had been no real challenge to her.

Still, when Amelia became a Murphy, something had changed in the family. It had more heart, they were all closer than they had ever been before, and Finn liked that this had happened.

He sometimes found himself wondering if he would ever find his Amelia. Was there someone out there for him that was as perfect a fit, as Amelia was for Landen?

It was something he found himself thinking about more and more lately. Part of him believed he was destined to spend the rest of his life alone. He was never good at the relationship thing. Not that he didn’t have his share of women interested. Like the rest of the Murphy boys, meeting girls was never a problem. They were all attractive, very eligible young men, or so their mother always said.  No, the real problem was meeting the right girl. Someone like Amelia who loves Landen for him, and not who he is. That’s what Finn wanted too.

Still, now was not the time to be letting his mind wander into those thoughts. He had a class to teach.

“I’m Professor Murphy,” Finn said, pulling his thoughts back to the class in front of him. “I will be your professor for this school year, teaching you everything there is to know about Classic English Literature. I will be teaching you about Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and of course the master of them all, William Shakespeare. This course will require a lot of reading, a lot of writing and a lot of hard work. When I set a deadline, I expect it to be met, no exceptions, unless you’re sick. And I mean close to death, sick. Class will begin on time every day, no exceptions, so be sure you are here and seated in plenty of time. There are no phones allowed in my classroom; I do not want any distractions at all….”

As if on cue, the door crashed open, and a very frazzled looking girl came rushing into the room. She stopped dead in her tracks the moment she spotted Finn standing at the front of the room.

“I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed, as she looked up, her eyes meeting a very irritated Finn’s. “I got lost, and for some reason ended up on the far side of campus. She glanced at one of the girls sitting in the front row, but she didn’t offer any more than that.

“I will let it go this once, Ms…” Finn replied, waiting for her to give her name. He sensed there was something she wasn’t saying, but he had a feeling something had happened between her and the other girl sitting in the front row.

“Emmy Warner,” she replied as she gave Finn a nervous smile. She reached out to shake his hand and had barely taken more than a couple of hurried steps towards him, when she tripped over what appeared to be a scarf hanging from her bag, sending her crashing to the floor

A low hum of laughter echoed around the room, and Finn could feel his irritation rise. Still, he was raised to be a gentleman, so he rushed to her side, helping her up from the floor before he turned and gave the class a look that told them to stop the laughing immediately.

“I’m so sorry,” Emmy said as her face flushed with sheer embarrassment.

“Are you okay, Ms. Warner?” Finn asked as he scooped up her belongings from the floor, dropping them into her outstretched arms.

“Yes,” she quickly replied as she dropped her eyes down to her books. “I’m okay. I mean, yes, Professor.”

“Then can you please take your seat,” Finn replied, unsure whether he was angry or amused with this girl. Then he added, unable to help himself. “Carefully.”

The moment her face burned an even brighter red, he regretted his words. He knew he had made her feel more uncomfortable than she already did. If his mother were there, she would have given him a look of disapproval. She always told them, if you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all.

Without even replying, she hurried past him, climbing the few steps until she reached an empty seat in the fourth row.

Finn released a long breath and sighed to himself. Freshmen!

He returned to his podium at the front of the class and tried to collect his thoughts before he continued. When he finally looked up, he could see that half the class were looking at him, the other half were looking at Emmy Warner.

“As fascinating as I’m sure, Ms. Warner is to some of you,” he said as he looked around the room, trying to hide his irritation once more. “I would be grateful if you could all focus on the front of the room. Unless Ms. Warner has extracts from The Great Gatsby tattooed to her forehead, you will learn nothing new from her.”

His eyes landed on Emmy once more, but she just stared down at her desk in front of her.

This girl won’t last a week, much less a whole semester, he sighed to himself, before he turned his attention back to his books, and the class he was teaching.

“Right, your assignments,” he said as he turned to the blackboard behind him, beginning to write out the details of what he expected from the class over the next ten months.

“I would advise you to start your set reading tonight,” Finn said as the class stood and began to gather their belongings. “Your first assignment is due in two weeks. I meant what I said about no extensions.”

“Professor,” a girl whose name Finn couldn’t seem to recall, said as she walked towards his desk. “I’m really excited about doing this class. I love English Literature. I especially love the romances. If there is anything, I could do for extra credit.”

Poison Ivy! Finn instantly thought to himself, as he looked up at the girl that was standing in front of him. She was pretty, in an obvious kind of way, but she knew it. She was also the girl that Ms. Warner seemed upset with earlier.

“Ms…” Finn said, giving her an expectant look, waiting for her to give him her name.

“Shelby,” she replied, giving him a killer smile. This girl really rated herself as something special.

“Well, Ms. Shelby,” Finn said as he closed the book in front of him, sitting down on the chair at his desk, next to the podium. He needed to put this young lady back into her box, and he needed to do it quickly.

“Oh, no!” She exclaimed with a laugh. “It’s Shelby Cooper-Smith. Shelby is my first name.”

“Well then, Ms. Cooper-Smith,” Finn continued with a tight smile, already bored with this conversation, and this girl. “If you want extra credit, do the assignments I set for you. That is all I require from any of you…”

Just then, Finn spotted Emmy Warner about to walk out of the classroom.

“Ms. Warner!” He called out, stopping her in her tracks. “Can I have a word please?”

Then he returned his attention back to Poison Ivy, standing in front of him, giving her a bored look.

“Good day, Ms. Cooper-Smith,” he said, surprising her with his directness. She stared at him for a moment, and Finn knew that Poison Ivy now saw him as a challenge. He doubted that this girl had ever been told no a day in her life, and she clearly didn’t like it. Girls like her got under his skin; they always had.

“I will see you tomorrow, Professor,” she finally said, giving him another killer smile. She turned and walked towards the door, pushing past Emmy Warner as she did, almost knocking the girl over again.

“Ms. Warner,” Finn said as he stood up. They were now alone in the classroom. Emmy looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

Finn noticed for the first time that Emmy seemed a little older than the rest of his class, maybe mid twenties. She wasn’t very tall; standing probably not much taller than five feet. She had long blonde hair, with crystal blue eyes. She had a pretty face, with a warm smile, but there was a look in her eyes. There was something curious about this girl, something Finn couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Professor, about earlier,” Emmy quickly began to say as she shifted nervously from one foot to another. “I’m really sorry; I didn’t mean to disturb your class…”

“I didn’t ask you to stay behind so that I could reprimand you, Ms. Warner,” Finn stopped her mid-sentence. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay; after your fall I mean. I wanted to be sure you weren’t hurt.”

Once more her face flushed with embarrassment, as her eyes instantly dropped down to the floor.

“I’m fine,” she replied in a tiny voice, without looking up at him. She reached up, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Are you sure?” He pushed, sensing that she wasn’t fine at all. “It was quite a fall.”

“I’m sure,” she insisted as she pulled her books closer to her chest as if they would protect her.

“Did something else happen that I should know about?” Finn asked, knowing she was upset over something. He remembered the exchanged glances between Ms. Warner and Poison Ivy when she arrived into the classroom. “You seemed a little upset when you arrived to class earlier.”

“No!” She insisted, almost sounding panicked, as she finally looked up, letting her eyes meet his. “I said I’m fine. If that’s all you want to talk to me about, Professor…”

Finn was surprised by her reaction. For some reason, his question seemed to have hit a nerve, but he had no idea why. There was definitely something he was missing; he just had no clue what that something was.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Warner,” Finn said as he took a step back, sitting down on the edge of his desk. He knew he needed to finish this up quickly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You…you didn’t,” Emmy insisted, as she reached up, brushing her hair back from her face once more, and Finn realised that this was something she clearly did when she was nervous, or uncomfortable. “I’m not upset, and I am not hurt, so if that’s all…”

She didn’t finish her thought, as once more her eyes dropped back down to the floor.

Finn stared at her for a moment but didn’t say anything. Emmy Warner was a mystery.

“You’re older than the rest of the class,” he said suddenly, surprising himself as much as he had surprised Emmy with his comment. He was unsure why he even cared what her story was, or how old she was for that matter. “I hadn’t noticed before. Your age I mean, I hadn’t noticed that you were older.”

“What has my age got to do with anything?” Emmy replied impatiently, this time she held his stare with hers.

“Nothing,” Finn quickly replied, once more surprised by her reaction to his comment. “I was just making an observation.”

“I didn’t get to go straight to college like everyone else,” she explained, but there was a defiant edge to her voice. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not able for this class. I can assure you. Professor; I’m just as capable as everyone else who is in your class…”

“I didn’t mean…” Finn retorted, but stopped mid-sentence, blowing out a deep breath.

There was definitely a story there with Ms. Warner, but one he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. She was defensive, but he had no idea why.

“As long as you’re sure you’re not hurt,” Finn said as he stood up straight once more. “That will be all, Ms. Warner.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Emmy replied before she quickly turned and hurried out of the classroom.

Finn stood for a moment, playing over what had just happened in his mind.

What the hell was that all about? He thought to himself as he walked back around to his seat. This girl had thrown him by surprise; that much was true. Finn shook his head and packed away his books, as he began to prepare himself for his second class of the day.

His phone vibrated on the desk. Finn smiled when he saw Landen’s name flash on the screen. He reached over, picking up the phone, hitting the accept icon on the screen, before he brought it to his ear.

“Landen,” Finn said into the phone. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Landen sighed, but Finn could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m a terrible big brother, who rarely calls.”

“Well, you do more since you met that beautiful wife of yours,” Finn replied with a chuckle, smiling as he pictured Amelia’s smiling face. “What’s up?”

“I was just calling to invite you to dinner,” Landen replied. “Amelia wants the whole family over tonight. She said it’s too long since we were last all together.”

“She does know what family she is dealing with, right?” Finn laughed.

“Oh she does,” Landen replied with a chuckle. “But she is forever the optimist that she will make us the perfect family. For Christmas, she plans on having us all in matching Christmas jumpers.”

“Never going to happen!” Finn replied as he threw his head back, laughing out loud.

“Yeah, maybe not,” Landen replied with a sigh. “I don’t see Callum wearing acrylic jumpers with Santa on his chest. Maybe if it was made of cashmere, you might have a better chance.”

Both brothers laughed at this thought.

“So, can I tell her you will come tonight?”  Landen pushed. Finn knew that saying no was not an option.

“Sure, I’ll be there,” Finn replied as he checked his watch. “But right now, I need to get ready for my next class.”

“Okay,” Landen said, and Finn heard a trace of excitement in his brother’s voice. “I will see you tonight. Seven o’clock.”

“See you then,” Finn said, before he hung up the phone, returning to his day. He had a class to get ready for, and a busy day ahead. All thoughts of Ms. Warner and dinner with his family were quickly pushed to the back of his mind. At least, for now.