Chapter 28

Naomi’s trip home had been almost as hellish as her stay with her parents. Her flight had been delayed for no apparent reason, they’d run into massive turbulence that left her queasy and scribbling out her last will and testament on the back of a napkin, and then she’d hit gridlock traffic on the drive home from the airport.

When she finally walked over the threshold of her house, she dropped her bags and sagged against the door. She remained there for a few minutes, soaking up the comforting feeling of being back in her own space before rallying and getting settled in. Grabbing her phone, she shot her mom a quick text to say she’d made it home safely.

Scrolling through her other messages, her eyes settled on Sebastian’s name. Unease prickled at the back of her neck as she opened their text log. They’d been sniping back and forth at a fairly steady rate until Thursday, when he’d stopped answering her. She’d initially attributed it to him having his own plans for the holiday. But when she’d sent him a follow-up text Friday after she’d finished babysitting her nieces and nephews—a task she felt would be more appropriately termed a hostage situation gone awry—he still didn’t reply. Saturday, she’d called him, wanting to hear a voice that wasn’t related to her by blood, and for some reason, Sebastian seemed like the perfect person to reach out to. She’d tried one last time to warn him of her impending return via text earlier that day, but he hadn’t taken advantage of the opportunity to make some sarcastic comment.

The worry that she’d done something to offend him had bothered her almost as much as the rocky flight, and she’d obsessed over it for most of the day. Finally, with her feet planted firmly on Vermont soil, she’d decided that Sebastian was too mercurial for her to spend mental energy on and had vowed to stop thinking about him. Which she’d absolutely managed to do.

Nope, not thinking of him at all. She wasn’t thinking of him in his sweater vests that allowed her to see the way his biceps filled out his Oxford shirts, nor of him at yoga in his tight shirt that smoothed over a flat stomach. And she definitely wasn’t thinking of the mesh shorts that showcased his defined calves but hid a much more interesting part of his anatomy. No, none of those things were making her pulse with excitement. My body is such a traitorous asshole.

Ignoring the pinpricks of pleasure that raced between her thighs, Naomi went to sleep, cursing the hot flashes that led to a restless slumber. As she got up the next morning sweat-soaked, she realized that her body really must hate her.

She made it to her cubicle just in time for her office hours to begin. She didn’t count on anyone showing up, but it was protocol to be available. Glancing across the room, Naomi noticed that Sebastian’s cubicle was deserted. He normally arrived early on Mondays, but today it seemed he hadn’t been in yet. Maybe he’d gone directly to his first class. Shrugging the thought of him away, she set out to catch up on some work.

But as the day wore on, Naomi noticed herself becoming hyperaware of every sound and flash of movement in the office. Every time someone walked through the suite, her eyes jerked toward the person in case it might be Sebastian. And each time, the unease that she’d been feeling for the past twenty-four hours grew. Finally, she saw Ron bustling through and rose to stop him. “Morning, Ron.”

He looked a bit harried but still smiled at her. “Morning, Naomi. Have a nice break?”

“Yes, it was great.” Not. “How about you?”

“Oh, yes, yes, it was good.”

He made to move past her, so she blurted out, “No Sebastian today?” She hoped it sounded casual, as if she didn’t really care about his whereabouts, but as one of Ron’s eyebrows rose, Naomi realized she’d failed in that endeavor.

“Uh, no. He emailed and asked me to have a TA go to his classes and let his students know he wouldn’t be there today.”

“Oh, is he sick or something?”

“No idea. His email didn’t give a reason for his absence. I replied to him, but I haven’t heard back.”

“Huh. Okay. Thanks.”

“Did you need him for something?”

“Me? Need him? No. Not really. I mean, we were going to discuss a few follow-up emails we received from Literary Day, but nothing important.” Naomi knew she sounded like a rambling imbecile, but she couldn’t help the fact that she wasn’t a smooth liar.

“Okay then. Have a good day,” Ron said, his voice sounding a tad bewildered.

Naomi sank back into her chair, involuntarily turning it so she faced Sebastian’s cubicle. She wasn’t sure why she was so bothered by his absence. It wasn’t like he’d never canceled a class before. Things came up. Being out from time to time was unavoidable.

But she was bothered, and no matter how much she tried to convince herself she had no reason to be, the worry stayed with her throughout the day and night. And when she’d gone into the office Tuesday to find that Sebastian had called out again, the worry morphed into full-blown panic.